Soul Calibur: An Epic Saga
by Layagg
Summary: A story about Kilik and Xianghua's quest to search for Soul Edge. It is a tale full of drama, fast-paced action, humor, suspense, and the reality of being human: genuine emotions. It tells of their SC storyline with some twists.PlsR
1. Chapter 1: A Reunion Bliss

**_Preface _**(A formal word for author's note, lol)**_:_**

_Hullo, everybody! It's me, Layagg. Welcome to this fiction, SoulCalibur: An Epic Saga. It is a story of two people finding themselves as they search for Soul Edge. It is a tale full of drama, fast-paced action, humor, suspense, (some bits of romance) and the reality of being human: genuine emotions. It explores the lives of two people as they journey from nation to nation to achieve not only the destruction of the weapon of horrors, a sword of evil, but also to achieve their own dreams and to unravel the truths beneath themselves._

_So, ride on and enjoy this thrilling adventure, a quest that could become an epic saga…_

___Disclaimer: I don't own Kilik and Xianghua and the rest of Soul Calibur._

___-0-  
_

** Prologue:**

In the year fifteen hundred and ninety-one, a period of warfare and internal dissent, an era when peace is kept as easily as water on a pair of hands, when war is as common as cattle in the grazing areas and people in the earth; it is the period of reconnaissance and conquerors, of being invaded and enslaved, a period of discovery and travel. Around this time, a greater turmoil rose from among them, worsened by men's desire of violence and power; but not of men, though created by men. It was all due to a living object that existed for centuries, created by the hatred of countless people merged into one weapon—a sword that would create a name for itself, making itself known through countless nations and the search of innumerable warriors of different ethnicities.

It garnered its name from the very thing it consumed, souls of men—Soul Edge was its name. Because of it, piles of sacrifices reaching up to the heavens were consumed. Through it, men of valor rose to become heroes of world renown, preserved through ages, inscribed among history books, honored and re-honored through many decades. Warriors from different places: ninjas and samurais of Japan, xias of China, knights of Europe, and even people of common background among several others all converged towards it. Some, with the intent of taking it for power and glory, some with the hopes of it becoming the Sword of Salvation for their homeland which lay in peril, some with the promise of it becoming the truth among their internal lies, shedding light for what was their darkness.

Still, to some, enlightened as they thought, sought to destroy it, deeming it as the Sword of Evil that devoured souls and transformed men into unimaginable horrors. They journeyed with fervor in their hearts, engraved in it a calling and a vision to take it as a mission, self-imposed or not, for the good of mankind.

Among them, two warriors from a certain land of China took up their weapons and strengthened their souls for a task as grand as it could be that lay ahead of them…

"_Transcending history and the world, a tale of Souls and Swords, eternally retold_." –_Soul Calibur_–

"_If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle_." –Sun Tzu, The Art of War–

_-0-_

**Chapter 1: A Re-union Bliss**

Early autumn of 1591. Somewhere in China…

The crowd roared with excitement as a rugged looking arena master stood between two fighters standing on both ends of a rectangular sand floored arena. Surrounding it was a crowd of about a hundred and a dome cloth tent sheltering the whole place.

The uproar seeped through the tent's exterior as people were coming and going inside and out through the only entrance facing a small village. Behind it was a dense temperate forest with pine trees and other tall plants that wept colorful leaves slowly dropping onto the ground. The sun had just set while the moon and stars were rushing in as if a family of legions to gather around the center of the excitement.

-0-

The smell of drizzle-soaked ground and human sweat reverberated through the dense amount of people passing by and a fraction waiting in line to get entry passes. People passing by chatted as they headed home within the village or headed towards the direction of the forest. As they passed by, some of them took the time to curiously look towards the direction of the tent.

The crowd hushed for a moment as the arena master introduced the two fighters. On the left side was a bulky tall, barrel-chested Caucasian man clothed in bear fur and moccasins and holding a huge axe on his hand. He had a fierce, wild look that speaks of his struggle against nature, beaten up but endured and victorious over it. He stood like a mountain goat surveying the crowd from a mountain top and was as fired up as the crowd cheering for him. He beat his chest in time with the crowd starting to chant: "kill, kill, kill, kill..."

The announcer waved his arms commanding silence. The crowd hushed momentarily as he introduced the man on the other side of the arena. An Asian—a Chinese man, two inch shorter than the Caucasian, stood bare-chested with his linen belt dangling on his waist and a pair of dark colored trousers covering his lower body. He held a bo staff on his hand, standing calmly as the crowd raved excitedly, waiting for the fight to begin. He was a huge contrast with his opponent who is now roaring emphatically with the crowd.

-0-

A thin, young petite Asian woman sighed. "Oohhh, slow, slow, slow. What a slow line!" she muttered, her words coming out slurred, monotonous and nasal. "How inconvenient!"

The woman stood with drooped shoulders and a raised eyebrow that twitched. She stared sullenly, her excitement stolen away as she watched the line moving towards the entrance at a very sluggish pace. Transactions between the ticket man and the people were slow and to make matters worse, a customer started to argue with the ticket man.

"I don't need a ticket!"

"Sir, no one can enter without a ticket"

"Why, you rotten maggot! You don't know who I am—!"

"Well, you're right sir and I sure don't see the need to. Now, will you please step off the line since…?"

The angry customer, a big bulky man, was turning red as chili pepper and was boiling inside. Indeed, one could see steam coming from above his head and through his nostrils. He was trembling and snorting puffs of smoke.

"…there are many others _with ticket_ waiting and bothered by your—"

Roar! The big man scooped up the irritated ticket man by the back of his neck with one hand; his free hand was already driving a smashing punch on the face.

The ticket man squeezed his eyes shut as he anticipated the blow. He waited… And waited… For something he anticipated but didn't come.

People immediately surrounded the scene while several others restrained the furious man.

"Goodness! Does this happen everyday?" the Asian woman exhaled. She watched amusedly as men, who appeared to be the security personnel, dragged the shouting man away. She knew the nature of this place but it didn't stop her from being amazed upon witnessing such commotion.

The line was thrown into chaos because of the event. With people scattered, she moved slowly towards the entrance and took advantaged of the good fortune given to her. She secretly giggled as she came ahead of the people who were once in front of her before the line was upset. All along she forced herself to keep an innocent look that didn't betray her taking advantage of the situation. She was now five persons away from the entrance.

A huge roar from the crowds erupted inside the tent causing her head to turn towards the entrance and her heart to palpitate as her blood vessels filled up with adrenalin.

"_A battle is already starting,"_ she thought, her lost excitement regaining inside her and drowning her, making her lose herself with the exhilaration. Instinctively, she grasped the handle of her sword, a slender _jian_ sword, and felt for the engraved letters of her name: Chai Xianghua.

-0-

The big Caucasian stood imposingly like a bear as he raised his giant axe and accelerated towards the Asian reaching full speed. His opponent, the Asian stood in a defensive position, calm and composed.

It was as if time slowed down as the white man slammed his axe downward onto the Asian and the ground shook with the impact. Dust flew and cleared; his attack only hit the ground. The Asian had stepped aside to evade his attack.

The Caucasian roared in fury and with great force, rammed his shoulder onto the chest of the Chinese man now on his side. The Asian flew backwards at its impact wincing in pain as he hit and rolled several times on the floor. Immediately, he got up right on time to block a downward smash which would have shattered his chest.

He shuddered with the impact; the white man was very strong. The Asian's arms quivered as both weapons pushed towards each other. The white man kicked him sending him staggering backwards.

The crowd gave a deafening roar. The arena master fled the scene as both opponents' weapons clashed intermittently. The sound of metal hammering each other repeatedly got drowned in the sea of voices as shouts and whoops ascended in volume.

The Asian ducked preventing his head from being chopped off, rolled on the ground and sent a sweeping kick on the ground sending the white man landing on his back. The white man rolled to his side, his eyes searching frantically for his opponent. Immediately, he spotted his enemy standing at a distance. Both of them heaved in their adrenaline surge while sweat trickled and rained down from their bodies…

The battle had just begun…

-0-

Xianghua moved inside. Instantly, she realized that she was very conspicuous; her silk pants and blouse were rather elegant and lady-like compared to the rugged outfit that most people inside wore. She brushed the uncomfortable feeling away and searched for a place to sit.

She found a seat several rows away from the arena. From there, she could make up the size of a finger length of the combatants already fighting. Glancing around at the people sitting beside her, her eyes stopped when her gaze met someone else already staring at her.

"What do you want?" she asked irritatedly.

A thin man with a pot belly leered at her and gave her a toothy grin. Already, without his leering, he looked awful but now, it was excruciatingly horrendous making her spine shake and her face twist upon seeing him.

"What's a lady doin' here," he asked with a voice forced to be smooth, but on the contrary, it was the other way around. "You know, a flower should be planted in a garden, not in a graveyard. Your beauty should be for servicing someone—a good-looking man. I wonder… if you're dying to come with me."

"…eh? …ah, no, no, no! I… came to fight… even though I don't really look like it… Well, mister, I came with a friend—a man. He is somewhere—"

"I like you…"

A trickle of sweat came from her temple.

"Ahahaha. Ahahaha." Every 'ha' of her fake laugh dropped in pitch while her words became squeaky. "Oh, but I don't do services... I don't fit in pleasure houses. I fight—I'm a fighter… I'll be next to fight after some of them…"

She was at lost for words. The man was clearly not listening to her and continued to pierce her with his stares.

-0-

Both men struggled as the Caucasian man trapped the Asian's torso between his thighs and pinned him onto the ground as his arms pushed to drive his giant axe onto the Asian's head. The Asian, his staff nowhere in his hands, fought to prevent his head from being split into two.

The struggle went on for minutes. It seemed that the Asian was losing his ground as the axe steadily lowered towards his face. His face was red and his sweat ran all over his face.

"…Kill, kill, kill…" the crowd chanted.

Three inches… Two inches… One inch…

"…Kill, kill, kill…" It nearly brushed his face.

Utilizing every ounce of strength he had, he twisted and turned the movement of the axe towards his side causing the axe to strike the ground, almost hitting his ear. He struggled and freed himself from the giant's hold.

The Caucasian was on his hands and knees stunned for a few moments. Wasting no time by picking his weapon, the Asian rushed towards his opponent and kicked him on the belly… again… and again until the Caucasian fell on his side, dazed and gasping for breath. The Asian turned his back from him and walked towards his staff.

The Caucasian looked as if he had given up and the fight had ended in favor of his opponent but suddenly, his face distorted into a beastly face, fierce and berserk. With renewed fervor, he pushed himself from the ground with his hands and charged towards the Asian. The Asian as he walked, sensed the sudden attack and sprinted towards his weapon and grabbed it. Spinning around, he slammed his weapon on his lunging opponent's temple.

Bam!

The Caucasian landed on the ground and slumped unconscious. Turning around, the Asian took a bow before the cheering crowd and exited the arena.

-0-

Xianghua's eyes went wide and gasped, "He's Kilik!"

"Hey, baby, sit down. I want to enjoy you while I'm watching," she heard the voice of the man say. Suddenly, an arm slid across her lower back and a hand reached her side. She felt the disgusting warmth of the man's body pressing her other side.

She pushed him away; this man was starting to trouble her. He had pressed himself continually towards her even though she tried her best to ignore him as she watched the events of the battle. She was starting to think that the man was a maniac.

"Stop… Ugh… Cut it out, please!"

"You'll enjoy more of me when I take you home. Hehehe—"

"Somehow, I think I'll enjoy it more if you were on the other side of world."

The man held her firmly and persistently. Having felt that she had had enough, she poured all her strength into her arms and shoved the man, yelling:

"Get off me!"

At last! She was free…

Atleast, for now.

"Yo!" A voice called from the aisle on her side. "The woman there. You're next! See that fighter's box; wait there until your fight begins."

Xianghua was washed down with relief. She gladly left her harasser and briskly walked towards the direction given to her.

The fighter's box was a small and low wooden platform found next to the arena on both of its ends where the fighters prepared themselves and waited for the battle they will participate to start. It had a single chair at its center.

Xianghua sat down on the chair. The man who called her before stood in front of her and briefed her:

"Your fight will begin in a short while. Prepare yourself in the meantime. You will face the winner of the previous round."

Xianghua sighed. She was still flustered because of the perverted man she encountered earlier. These thoughts kept tapping on her. As old anxieties started to cast minute shadows on her, the tapping became louder raps that went beyond annoying her. The excitement she had earlier was now swallowed up by all these bigger beasts wanting to pounce on her. Thoughts that she had locked underneath the cellars of her consciousness were banging now and trying to escape and gobble her.

She looked across towards the other end of the arena. She studied the man who was going to be her opponent. He was sitting calmly...

Resting…

Peacefully.

"_He is well. Thank goodness. There is no need to be afraid…," _she thought.

The identities of her fears were well subdued in her unconscious. It was buried and unable to surface by all her pains and internal conflicts. Once, the nameless fears peaked through the door of her mind which she noticed immediately.

Bang! She mentally closed it again reinforcing it with her will knowing that even a little distraction would cause her to lose. She performed some mental exercises she learned from her last teacher to cast her anxieties and distractions aside.

"…the path of a warrior requires letting in the dark feelings, weighing them and letting them go," were her instructor's words. This was the beginning of her non-physical training: her training of her mind. Somehow, she thought it had prepared her for this day but she was wrong. She had not yet let the dark feelings go; they were still locked up inside her. She decided that this would be the time to let go and renew her inner strength—after she proved herself.

-0-

Kilik sat on the other side of the arena where he was resting and taking a breather from the previous fight. He was a little tired but he knew he could still finish this last battle. He needed to win this to achieve what he really, really needed.

As he looked around, he was surprised to find Xianghua on the opposite side. Of all the people to come across in this place… and to think she would be his next opponent—

"_What a stroke of luck_!" he thought and he lit up. At once, his mind began churning as an idea sprouted inside him. He conceived a plan that would ease his way to get something that he was aiming for in this arena.

"Folks, settle down!" the announcer began in a loud voice. "The fight will almost begin. Now, I will repeat: under this tent we have three rules. First, the fight does not stop until one is not capable of fighting anymore; second, the fighter can choose any weapon of his choice; third, the brutal the better."

"Before I call the arena master, let us remind you, folks, the handsome reward for this man on the right if he wins this battle… One thousand silver coins!"

At this, the crowd went wild and the announcer could not resume his speech until the crowd had settled and the noise died down. It took some time before the cheers responded to his arms waving and gesturing for silence.

"Now, the newcomer doesn't go home empty if he wins this fight. For being victorious for the first time, he shall receive a bag of twenty silver coins. If he continues it until the third battle, he shall have a hundred silver coins. For the fifth, four hundred. And for the ultimate reward, for winning ten times in a row, once again folks: A thousand silver coins!"

-0-

Xianghua eyes shot across the arena and settled upon Kilik on the other side. She searched him curiously from where she was. She was almost in a trance as she studied what details she could make out from her distance from him: the curved scar on his cheek, his brown hair, his sun-tanned skin and his expressions that betrayed no change from the last time she was with him. She also noted that he was more muscular and tight. Still, there was still something else that she searched for…

As if he felt her probing, his eyes met hers. She blushed and froze not knowing what to do at being caught staring at him. He smiled at her and she smiled back and gave a small wave in return. He started to mouth something to her that she could not comprehend. She frowned as she tried to guess the message being sent across to her. She wasn't able to get her answer as Kilik's eyes went back to the announcer at the center.

"So now, I present to you the arena master!" the announcer continued.

A broad-shouldered, stocky man in his mid-forties replaced the announcer inside the arena. The entrance cheers and applause surged up but died quickly when he began to speak. He asked both fighters to come inside the arena and introduced them before the crowd.

"Are you ready?" He looked at both sides. "Let's go fight!"

Xianghua breathed in and breathed out. She brushed every shadow nipping at her and steadied her grasp on her sword with her sweaty hands.

"Psst. Xianghua."

Xianghua glanced up to see Kilik in his battle stance but from the looks on his face, she sensed something else in him.

"What is it? Is something wrong?"

"No. Nothing. Listen. Could you consider letting me win this round?"

Xianghua cackled. "What an absurd idea! You're not the person who holds back on me whenever we spar and now you want me to give this battle to you. Don't tell me you're scared of me?"

Kilik's face turned visibly red. "No! Just trust me."

"Jeez. I hate it when you say that."

"Come on! It's for the money."

Xianghua's eyes widened and her jaw dropped. "You've been gambling?"

Kilik's temple twitched in irritation and answered with strained patience noticeable in his voice:

"No! It's in the rules here!"

"What rules?"

"About the arena."

"…Ha?"

"Have you read the poster outside?"

"No."

"The paper they gave you?"

"Didn't give me anything."

"What about the person who spoke to you in the fighter's box?"

"Didn't say anything."

"It's in what the announcer spoke a while ago!"

"Which is…?"

Kilik wanted to smack his own face very hard with his palm in annoyance. He wanted to smack it even more on Xianghua's. His patience had now shrunk to the size of a water droplet.

-0-

"Boo!" The crowd's discontentment finally leaked out and exploded. The crowd's excitement had waned because of the length of the discourse between the two which only they understood.

"Are you gonna fight or not?"

"Hey, this ain't a talk show!"

"If this is how you fight, we want our tickets back!"

"Hey, c'mon!"

Grumbles flew, people were booing and hissing, their unrest building up rapidly endangered the whole tent in being blown off along with everything inside it. Fearing this chaos that might ensue, the arena master made haste and approached them.

"Hey, hey. Is something wrong?"

"No sir. We were just talking." Kilik answered. His steam diminished after sensing another fiery furnace around him that was higher in temperature than his.

"Well then, could you save the conversation later? The crowd's getting hotter and we don't want unnecessary commotions."

"Sure."

"Right. Let the fight begin!"

Both bowed before each other and took their own fighting stances.

"Well, then, Kilik, show me how much you've improved!"

Xianghua charged at him, slashing vertically, her sword clashing to his staff. Both of their weapons met and interlocked into a stall.

"Xianghua, listen! Trust me. I've have a plan—"

"Tch. Annoying! You're so persistent."

Xianghua jumped back and avoided Kilik's staff hacking horizontally at her. She countered by dashing forward and thrusting her sword high. Whoosh! She hit air as Kilik tilted his torso backward.

"Xianghua. This would mean a lot of money: a thousand silver coins."

"I don't care what's at stake with you're gambling." Xianghua hopped as the staff swept across the ground beneath her feet.

"You know how much I hate it." She emphasized her words with a downward slash followed by a powered upward, her leg opposite her striking arm elevated backward with the latter strike.

Kilik dodged the first and blocked the latter. He held his staff horizontally as he prevented her sword from reaching his chin. "Jeez. You're not listening."

"Well, quit yapping and concentrate on fighting me." She withdrew her blade, faked an upward slash and poked towards Kilik's shin.

Kilik knew this trick. He had familiarized most of her moves while they sparred numerous times before. He easily spun around her, dodging the poke, and swung his staff in a circular motion carried through the spin. Xianghua ducked the incoming swing and while rising up, produced a backward cartwheel kick. Kilik managed to block the kick at the last moment but staggered backwards.

"Xianghua, the rules!"

"Ack! I hate rules! I always break 'em!" With that, she leaped forward and slashed a halfway mid-horizontal arc. Kilik parried it and kicked her straight on her belly sending her flying backwards. She rolled a couple of times on the ground but immediately, got on her feet again.

"For the last time, Xianghua! Listen to me!"

"Kilik, would you shut up. If you're not really serious in defeating me, I am!" Xianghua ran towards him. She leapt high in the air as the butt of Kilik's staff jabbed towards her, avoiding its strike. Her feet landed on his staff. Balancing herself on his staff, she ran across its length, her feet closing in on Kilik's face.

Kilik tilted his head to avoid her feet as she jumped over him. She kicked the back of his shoulders with her heel in midair sending him off-balanced and falling on his hands and knees. He was dumbfounded with this move. He had never encountered it before while they were practicing and sparring on their previous journey.

As she descended on ground, she twisted her body so that she landed facing him. At once, she dashed towards him, ducking a mid-horizontal swing. Upon reaching him, she grabbed his shoulder and swung herself upwards on his back. Her feet ascended first with her head pointing to the ground as she threw herself upwards. She twisted on midair and landed on his shoulders. She leapt high and using the momentum of her jump, her feet pushed him on the ground to which he crashed chest first.

Xianghua wasted no time as he laid there prone; he was down wheezing with the impact. She locked her forearm across his neck while her other hand pushed the back of his head forward. There was a brief struggle but finally he collapsed and lost consciousness.

The crowd roared as a new champion emerged from this battle. They cheered with a deafening loudness. Many of them were wide-eyed with amazement with the acrobatic moves she displayed.

Xianghua merely smiled and took a bow with her waist before them. She had won.


	2. Chapter 2: A Swelling Pricked and Bled

**Chapter 2: A Swelling Pricked and Bled**

_Disclaimer: All I own is the PS2 console and the game, Soul Calibur 2 and 3. I do not own the company, the staff, their building, their name or their characters._

Kilik's rented room stood quietly, softly illuminated by the moonlight shining its full round face, unobstructed by any herd of cloud floating by. From inside, silhouettes of furniture posed in their different places while the dim light accented the coziness and warmth that the room glowed with. Outdoor ambient sounds reigned in its auditory kingdom. Silence—

Suddenly, a sound of brisk footsteps heralded from outside and the peace that the room had boasted suddenly evaporated away. The knob of its only door turned boisterously as the creaking of its hinge joined it in duet.

Kilik stepped inside carrying a candle on its stand. He placed the candle on the desk beside the opened door and closed the door behind him. By now, his body was whining due to the tremendous toll he had imposed late this day. His body is heavy but his mind refused to sleep.

Not yet.

Too many thoughts occupied it and his adrenalin flowed yet in his veins. He was still exhilarated as memories of his battles that finally ended minutes ago still replayed in his mind.

He felt foolish with his late defeated fight. He had fault in it, he could admit. Xianghua's stubbornness threw him into nonsensicality while his stubbornness clashed into hers. But his focus was much lower than hers so that, in the end, he lost his ground. No matter how much he replayed the scene in his mind, he couldn't smother the embarrassment he felt. He was, at that time, altogether stupid and silly.

Another matter larger than the first bothered him. He felt very regretful with the loss of the grand prize to which he labored so hard to attain. Defeating nine warriors in a row, some of them strong and very skilled, was not as easy as snapping a twig into two. His body, aching and tired now, testifies to it.

He would not have done it if he was not desperately low in resources. The amount of the ultimate reward was very attractive; therefore, in planning to solve his recurring problem of finance, he decided to take this challenge to its maximum. Well, now, his hopes and plans had disintegrated, owing to his stupidity and Xianghua's stubbornness. Now, he couldn't help being angry at himself and irritated at her. He lay on his bed wide-awaked as sleep cautiously would not touch him in his explosive mood.

Suddenly, a shy knock tapped at his door.

"Who's there?"

"It's me," a timid soprano voice answered.

"Not really the person I wanted to see," he thought. He sourly approached the door and opened it halfway where he appeared through its narrow opening. Xianghua stood in front of him, still disheveled due to the late battle but nevertheless remained pretty. Of course, he only managed to notice the first.

"What is it?"

"I just came by to see you."

"At this late hour?"

"Well, I was worried about you," Xianghua looked at him timidly. "I was afraid when you didn't wake up soon after you fainted. After the rewarding, I intended to approach you but you were already gone."

There was something strange in the tone of her voice and the manner that she spoke that Kilik noticed. However, distracted as he was with another matter, he wasn't able to entertain that wee feeling that tugged at his sleeve.

"Um, can I come in?" She inquired, for up until now, there was Kilik who barricaded the entrance blocking her way inside. He hesitantly withdrew his post and let her inside. She sat on his bed while he pulled a chair in front of his desk and both faced each other. There was a brief period of silence and unease as he stared on the floor while she gazed at him. The flicker of the candlelight played with both of their shadows.

"You sure became stronger all those five months that I haven't seen you. I was able to watch your battle with the axe man right before us. You were marvelous!"

Kilik grunted in response.

"Kilik, how are you now?"

Kilik looked at her and shrugged, "I'm fine. I guess."

Xianghua frowned in disagreement.

"Tell me, is anything still hurting you."

"Oh, that. Just the normal aches of battle and the soreness of losing."

"I'm so relieved!"

Having his last statement ignored, he grew even more annoyed at her and immediately shifted the topic.

"Uh, Xianghua, what did you do after our battle?"

"Well, I took my reward and tried to look for you."

"What did you say?" Xianghua actually jumped from where she sat out of surprise because of Kilik's exclamation.

"I took my reward and tried to look for you—"

"Why?"

"I thought something must have happened to you because you immediately left—"

"No, no, no. Why did you take the reward after the battle?"

"Huh? Isn't it natural for people to claim their reward after they won—?"

"So you didn't know?"

"Know what?"

Kilik shut his eyes tight as the last hope that he was clinging onto became like dust being blown away. Filled with regret and feeling his irritation ascending, he told her about the rules and the reward and even showed her a piece of paper explaining everything he had said. He managed to conceal what he felt and prevent it from surfacing in his voice.

"Oh, so there is such a thing." Xianghua said after a couple of ohs and ahs while Kilik was talking.

Kilik sighed and let his indignation loose:

"Xianghua, are you really paying attention? Stop playing around and get serious!"

"But I am serious."

"I don't see anything serious about you."

"Well, I'm sorry. This is just how I am. But, I tell you, I am really serious."

Kilik let out an irritated breath. "Fine! But I wish that you would be less careless next time. You cost us our travel money."

"What? How?"

And once again, Kilik explained—this time about his plan of him winning their match so that he could get the grand prize which he had already won nine in a row. After that, it would be all or nothing: if he had won their battle, he would get the grand prize and as he did not, he got nothing. When that ended in failure because of her, he was hoping that she would go beyond the first battle so that she could win and earn a fairly large sum, though less than what he had originally intended to have.

"Well, obviously, both did not end so well, did they? So we're left with nothing but to scrape for something else to find funds."

"Oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't know, I really didn't know."

"Stop saying that! I've been trying to tell you all of these for so many times but you were not listening. How will you ever know if you don't listen or even pay attention to anything?" he said while he shifted towards an accusing tone mimicking a prosecutor. "Besides, I really don't believe that you're unaware of the arena rules. You choked me, and by that, you should have an idea that disabling me would make you win. Otherwise, you would have fought as if we were sparring together like we used to do and pin me weaponless. You've got to come up with a better reason than that."

Xianghua's face colored and twisted as she struggled to find words:

"W-well, I… I… did know about that… Somehow, I've heard about those rules… But I'm sorry. That's all I've ever heard," she murmured as she bowed her head anticipating his wrath. Kilik exhaled crisply, stood up and paced across his room disgustedly.

"Hopeless. I don't know how I could put up with you. You're just hopeless. I feel like I have a child tagging along with me rather than a warrior." Kilik muttered loudly.

Xianghua grimaced as she heard those painful words. Her head slowly rose revealing her pretty face smeared with pain although her eyes avoided meeting his.

"Why do you care so much about it? Is winning a battle more important to you? More than…" And her voice trailed off as she continued to gaze on the floor.

"You don't understand me," he said as he faced her and lifted a pointing finger at her. "You don't understand the work I put behind all this. You don't understand that we have nothing, nothing in our purses to travel with—they're all exhausted. And the means that we could have gained them would have been in this arena. Everything had been working and happening as I had planned until you showed up, refused to cooperate and ruined everything!"

"Is that so?" she weakly murmured.

"Is that so? That's all you can say? After ruining our chances, all you can say is: is that so?."

"You could hire yourself for work, dummy," Xianghua mumbled in irritation but letting the last word fade inaudibly.

"That is the most absurd idea I've ever heard!" Kilik exclaimed. "Not only foolish but outright stupid. What do you want me to do? Peddle in the streets for months so that we could atleast have something to start with?"

"Do whatever you want!"

Kilik sighed as he put his hands on his waist. "You're not really helping at all. Perhaps a hired man would have suited me better because all I see in you is a helpless, unintelligent child. I don't know if it would be safe with you either as all I had with you recently are misfortunes."

A feeling much like being struck by lightning seized her as these words entered her ears. It undermined her personal issues and shattered her completely. She unconsciously stood up and looked at him wordlessly for a moment. What words she could not speak in the chaos storming inside her, her face reflected thoroughly. Unfortunately for her, Kilik could not see her face clearly in the candle illuminated yet still dim room.

"What? Are you going to say something?" he asked contemptuously.

She did not answer his question but immediately rushed towards the door and ran outside. In a matter of moments, her silhouette got swallowed into the darkness while the sounds of her footsteps soon followed its fate leaving a brooding Kilik inside his rented room.

-0-0-0-0-0-

Xianghua's footsteps padded on the dew dampened soil as her breath came out heavily from her nostrils. Houses upon houses passed by unnoticeable to her. She walked briskly, deeply absorbed by the troublesome thoughts in her mind. The mental monsters inside her that she fought hard to suppress inside the arena seemed to have grown stronger and even more aggressive breaking through the locked vault of her mind and escaping from it without her even noticing it. They tortured her as they brought down their fury on her.

"You're weak! Nobody is going to rely on you!"

"Stupid! All you're years of training have failed to make a warrior out of you!"

"Child! You're just a helpless girl!"

All these thoughts came accusing her and reminding her of her failures.

She could not recall how long she walked as she continued on in her brisk hike. The monotonous patterns of wooden houses with cold, closed doors and dimness revealed through slits in their wooden windows lightly brushed her mind, not leaving an imprint of memory or disturbing her from the mental events occurring inside of her. She heaved a sigh…

Cry…

No, she can't cry. It would only prove that she is weak…

Weak… Indeed, she felt her body heavily dragging her and gravity increasing its pull on her. She headed for the nearest house and slumped down, sitting down with her back against the wall. She buried her head on her knees, wrapping around her arms over it.

Another sigh came from her lips…

She could not even protect the last person that relied on her when he was brought in danger. She failed to shield him from an enemy that wanted to kill him. Above all that, the man that she failed to protect was the very man that condemned her tonight…

"Have I been useless…? Am I really worthy of taking this impossible task of destroying an evil sword…? Won't I just put my companions in danger?" She doubted herself all the more. What confidence she had on herself dissipated to join the cool air that brushed her skin, breaking her emotions even more.

The crickets were silent; the noise coming from the wind seemed asleep. Even the hooting of the owls was nowhere and dead silence reigned for quite a while—

Until the sound of some male voices laughing boisterously broke through and three silhouettes came staggering as they walk on the streets. As the dampened light of the cloud-obscured moon shone on them, it revealed the appearances of three red Asian faces, with droopy eyes, each with their ballooning bellies and unkempt clothing. They merrily moved closer, intoxicated with alcohol, and passed by Xianghua. Suddenly, they came to a halt and the man on the middle turned curiously towards the strange form of a human curled beside a house.

"Am I just drunk or am I really seeing someone beside that house?" he slurred. His face had a jagged texture, like the roughness of a tree bark.

"Nah. Don't scare us with one of your ghost stories again," the man on his left side said, with the same slur as his companion had. He had a crescent moon-shaped face that identified him from his companions.

"Naw. I really saw someone there. Look again. See, the figure's moving."

"Ah, give me a scare once more and I'll hack you into pieces. Don't tell fibs to frighten us… Wait. Yes, I see the figure… And it's not a ghost," the third man spoke. He had the largest belly and the fattest physique among them.

They stepped closer to her and found an unusual sight: a woman sitting in front of a doorstep with her face buried on her knees—in the middle of the night. Whispering among each other, they huddled together.

"It's a woman and it's night. What do you think of it?" the man in the middle said with an wicked grin.

"Hey, but don't be greedy. Just because you're the one who saw her means you get to take her by yourself."

"Sure, maybe I will share but I get to go first with her."

"Ah, unfair. Let's just see whom she will go with."

Xianghua froze as she felt for her surroundings and upon sensing the malice in their intent, tried to assess her next move.

"Yo, woman, what bothers you? Are you kicked out of your house? I know some place where you could stay for the night and feel warm."

Xianghua looked up and to her horror, she recognized the man right before her—her harasser, the maniac from inside the arena. Fortunately, the man had not recognized her yet because her face was hidden in the shadows.

"Come with us. We will entertain you," the man said as he extended his hand and gripped her arm.

She became apprehensive and pulled her arm in reflex.

"Leave me alone!" she said. Her hand automatically went for her sword usually tucked on her belt but found none. She frantically looked in vain for anybody that could help her. Finally, the realization of reality quickly sprung in her: she was all alone now.

The hand came once more for her arm and pulled her up to him. "Come on now, don't be stubborn. We will have a good memorable time."

Her body collided with his. As she found herself staring up closely at the man's face, her heart pounded loudly against her chest wall in fear. She could not loosen his grasp nor free herself from him no matter how much she tried.

The stench of alcohol breathed on her face as his rough hands gripped and pulled her towards himself. The man looked at her with a spine-chilling gaze making her tremble. He had recognized her now, that's for sure, and had no plan of letting her go once again. At this point, there was not much escape.

"Hey, boys, we've got a pretty catch tonight," the man announced. Turning towards her, he spoke softly which further more amplified her fear: "Do you remember me? Hehehe."

His face lowered onto her... Slowly… Nearly touching hers…

Xianghua raised her arm and struck his face with her palm. The man yelled in pain and staggered back as he held his nose. His two companions immediately surrounded her, backed her in front of the house and cornered her.

One of them rushed towards her, intending to grab her. She responded by punching him straight on the face sending him crashing backwards. The remaining assailant, the fat man, charged and jumped at her. She stepped aside allowing the man to drop flat on his belly. Their alcohol intoxication had made them slow, but her troubles had also made her hesitant. In this, she was treading on dangerous grounds; with a single hesitation, she would surely fall.

The first one, the one she struck on the face, drew his sword and swung his sword horizontally at her several times as she drew her head back to avoid each swing. When he lunged at her, she spun to avoid him, to find the second man, the crescent-faced man, bringing down his sword upon her. She crossed her forearms together and locked the man's wrist with it, preventing the vertical attack from slicing her into two. She deflected the sword to her side and ducked, escaping another sword aimed at her neck behind her. She swept her leg on the ground for a full circular arc causing the two men to stumble on their backs.

As she rose to a stand, she suddenly sensed the presence of someone hostile behind her. She quickly stepped away to avoid the man—

Too late!

She felt a heavy blow on her back with the hilt of a sword causing her to fall to the ground, face first. A foot stomped her shoulder making it flare with pain. She grunted as a hand pulled her hair roughly, tugging her head back. She felt the chin of one of them pressed on the back of her head and a knee pressed on her lower back.

"How dare you resist against us! You have worn my patience. For that, I will make you suffer. This will not be pleasant!"

Xianghua bit her lip as she regretted her mistake; she had been distracted with her thoughts preventing her from sensing her enemy behind her. It was a very costly price for her to pay and now she was immobilized by her captors and forced into submission at their mercy. She tried not to think about what they had in plan for her. She didn't dare move either as she sensed three swords pointed at her.

A pair of hands pulled her shoulders up, stood her erect and slammed her face and chest against the wall. She felt her arms being extended and pressed onto the wall as well.

She was exhausted—from her resistance against them, the pain she incurred from them and the wounds inflicted upon her heart as she left Kilik's house. She felt hope desert her and the grim realization of the escape's impossibility crept onto her.

Strange, she thought, that even though she had a fight with him at his house, even though she felt immense bitterness against him, she still secretly hoped and longed to see him come and rescue her.

"And now…" A chin poked sharply on her shoulder as she felt heavy breathing on her ear, "Prepare yourself. No one can rescue you now."

She squeezed her eyes tight as she awaited the man's next action.


	3. Chapter 3: Divided World

**Chapter 3: Divided World**

_September 7, 2008-Finally, I was able to finish this chapter. It was a tough three months for me with wardwork papers and community reports that I have to finish. There were times that I don't feel like writing anymore but with ideas coming on my head, I just have to do this. Moreover, I have to rewrite the latter scenes of this chapter because I didn't feel they look right earlier. So much for a whole weekend's work with this last month. I had to rewrite more than five pages and delete those work. Nuf with the babbling. Here we go…_

…_One last thing, I made several changes in Chapter 2, mainly editing and rewriting of Kilik and Xianghua's argument. If you've finished chapter 2 before today, it might be helpful if you reread it again so that you won't get lost in this chapter. The changes are mainly about mellowing down Kilik's harshness and toning up Xianghua so that she doesn't appear too much child-like. Okay. Here we go (for real)… _

_Disclaimer: I do not own both Xianghua or Kilik or anything in the Soul Calibur canon._

-0-

Three men huddled together pressing Xianghua on the wall. The man at the center brushed his hands on her hair, pulling it back revealing her neck. As he put another hand on her shoulder, he felt _another_ hand gripping _his _shoulder heavily. Turning his head towards that direction—

Whack!

A tremendous blow from a red staff hit him on his face throwing him to the ground, dragging the pinned girl down with him. Upon his fall, both of his companions immediately drew their swords out and attacked the new intruder.

Xianghua, lying face towards the ground, tilted her body towards the new comer and gaped in surprise: Kilik had come to her rescue!

The fat man and the moon-faced man dashed towards Kilik slashing him with a horizontal stroke while Kilik hopped back in evasion.

The man who received the blow on the face regained his consciousness, shaking his head to clear it up, slowly pushing his hands feebly on the ground and rising up.

Kilik spun around his obese opponent avoiding a running deep thrust towards where his chest had been. The fat man staggered forward unexpecting the miss. The staff warrior, who now was behind the obese man, swept his staff low trying to strike his opponent at the heel but was promptly stopped when the recipient of the attack lifted his heel and caught the staff beneath his foot, stepping on it.

Kilik looked at him in alarm and tugged his weapon back to no avail.

Sensing another impending danger, he turned his head left just as the moon-faced enemy dashed and swung his jian sword at Kilik's neck. The staff wielder ducked his head multiple times evading multiple strikes as he held his staff stuck under the foot of his other foe.

Immediately after his last head duck, he kicked at the moon-faced man's sword hand launching the weapon vertically in the air. Pulling the disarmed man by the wrist towards himself, Kilik released his hold on the staff letting it forcefully drop on the pulled man's foot, the weight of the obese man stepping on the staff adding to the momentum of the staff's drop.

"Aaahhh!" the man screamed in pain. Kilik leapt once again and sent a vertical kick on the screaming man's chin knocking him unconscious. The Kilik extended his hand and caught the now dropping sword by its hilt.

The obese man released his foot on the staff and marched towards the staff wielder, who braced himself against the fat man.

Another danger approached Kilik from behind, alarming him, as the man who had received the blow on the face made a mad dash towards the staff wielder. With split seconds of decision, Kilik leapt and kicked both attackers converging at him sequentially in midair sending the slimmer foe skidding away.

The fat man, with more mass, did not even stagger with the attack but pressed on and slashed diagonally. Kilik raised his own sword meeting the vicious weapon with a loud clang. He held his sword with two hands struggling to keep himself upright against the strength of the flabby foe.

The fat man utilizing only one hand in his sword strike, pulled back his free hand and punched the staff warrior at the chest making him stagger and drop his sword. As the heavy man prepared to launch another forceful diagonal swing, Kilik sidestepped towards the man's non-sword side in evasion, and sprinted towards his bo staff and picked it up.

Looking back, he saw his two remaining opponents running behind him. He planted his feet on the ground in a wide stance, both hands parallel to his shoulders as he held his staff in front of him in a defensive position.

The thinner man leapt with an overhead strike. Kilik easily spun to his side and knock the back of his opponent's head with his elbow. He, then, thrust his staff forward aiming at the fatter man's forehead.

Alas! He missed!

The fat man merely bent his head sideward to avoid the strike.

At this moment, Kilik began to realize the efficiency of their combat inspite of being drunk. Although, they swayed and staggered in their alcohol intoxication, they were quicker than he expected.

He tried to cast aside the anxiety building up inside him but failed when a realization struck him: they were using the drunken fist style with Chinese sword fighting. No wonder they were formidable even in their drunken state! He would have to rethink his strategy or he would not make it alive. The drunken style causes people to underestimate the drunken fighter and lower their guard to their inevitable defeat.

Kilik thrust his staff once again but this time towards the fat man's belly. The man nimbly fell on his back to the ground avoiding the attack and rolled backwards back to his feet again.

The thinner man attacked Kilik once again with flurries and combinations. Although the staff wielder blocked them all, neither could he land a hit with his own attacks because of the man quickness to evade. Although he was successful in landing kicks to the man, the man just absorbed the impact and relentlessly got back to his face. Finally, Kilik was able to catch him off-guard and sent his staff sweeping and tripping his foe just in time for him to notice the fat man behind him. Kilik rolled aside to avoid a decapitating mid-horizontal strike from the man.

Kilik kicked the thinner man once again, who had just recovered from his stumble, to make him stagger and proceeded with attacking the fat man. He dashed to the obese fellow who poked his sword at Kilik. Kilik spun once again in evasion but instead of making a full spin, he spun in a half arc so that his side was close enough to the man's front. The staff wielder jumped and rammed his shoulder at the obese man and after making him stagger, swept his staff along the ground causing his opponent to stumble and crash to the ground. As the man lay on the ground, Kilik leapt and struck with an overhead swing hitting him in between the groin.

The man fainted with a weak, muffled groan.

Two down, one more to go.

Kilik's last opponent was immediately in front of him and fought with greater intensity. He became harder to hit and faster in his strikes.

Kilik was now panting, feeling his strength about to run out.

Having his reflex slowed, he skidded to the ground when his drunken opponent sent him a spinning kick landing on the staff fighter's side. Without giving him time to recover from his fall, the enemy jumped at him with sword at a backhand grip purposely to stab Kilik on the ground. Kilik rolled to his side and got up.

He leaned on his staff as he tried to catch his breath but couldn't stay in that position for so long as his foe was immediately on his face again. He raised his staff once again in a defensive position. Some high kicks, a couple of mid-swings, a low-thrust—Kilik maneuvered himself laboriously through all these attacks evading them all by the hair of his skin.

Just as he felt his strength about to disappear completely on him, he resolved to give his all as a last desperate stand in hopes of defeating his foe. Fortunately, his foe was also slowing down in his offensive.

Kilik blocked a mid-kick and parried a vertical strike.

As the drunken man staggered backwards, off-balanced because of the parry, the staff wielder thrust his weapon several times in quick successions until they became a fury of strikes landing multiple jabs onto the enemy's chest. With his last thrust, Kilik poured all his strength to his arms and jabbed his weapon in full power throwing the drunken man away with the impact.

Kilik wearily jogged towards the rolling foe to finish him off but before the staff warrior could reach him, the drunken fellow had already blacked out.

Xianghua, who was watching the whole fight as she sat, finally stood up, rubbing her painful shoulder. Kilik, who was heaving and was drenched in sweat, slumped down in exhaustion. Amidst long gasps of breathe, he managed to speak:

"What have you got into?"

"Why have you come?"

Kilik could only stare at her wide-eyed and stopped panting. After defeating all those goons that surrounded her, expending so much of his energy to save her and through all that, receiving no help from her—all he got was a cold dismissal! He wasn't anticipating gratitude from her either, but atleast…

"…See who's talking— Is that how you react to everyone who comes to your rescue?"

Xianghua, herself, was surprised at how she responded to him, but her mind raging like a whirlpool, with all the chaotic thoughts spinning inside her, consumed her and fogged her mind. She was relieved to see him rescue her but could not help remembering the painful words that he afflicted her. Her vulnerable disposition was shed off and like a beast when wounded by its tamer, she snapped back at him.

"Nobody needs your help," she said stubbornly. Kilik chuckled in disbelief and rose up shakily. He towered over Xianghua who only reached up to his shoulder.

"Oh, stop being funny. You were pinned on that wall with three armed men pressing on you. Doesn't that sound like someone needing help—?"

"I can manage myself without anyone's help."

"Oh, I can see that clearly," Kilik said sarcastically, "seeing you on the verge of being raped."

"Ha! If you hadn't come, I would have outmaneuvered them and finished them one by one!"

If Kilik wasn't agitated, he would have laughed at Xianghua's spectacle: her denial of needing any help and bragging of what she could have done with those men, in contrast to her pitiful face with several cuts on the cheek area and a bruise over her right cheek bone and the fact that she is weaponless. However, since he was irritated by her from the events at the arena, her words only worsened his exasperation.

He was too tired to argue but too angry to let her be. Hence, never exerting energy to raise his voice and yell, he criticized her with a calm voice but with raging emotions. He didn't ask her what had become of her weapon since he knew that she hadn't brought it with her and that he considered it a pointless topic to argue with.

"Quit your arrogance. It doesn't suit you since you don't have anything to brag about. Your talk is as empty as your melee with these men."

Xianghua's jaw dropped. "What did you just say?"

"You just heard me. Or are you deaf, too?"

"You dare speak! What are you? If you have something to boast about, come on. Bring it on!"

"Childish. You're such a waste of time. I was just pointing out your arrogance and refusal to accept help and here you are posing like an angry hen—"

"Don't call me a child coz' I'm not!"

"I would stop calling you such if you stop acting like one!"

"Shut up! Why are you here anyway? Are you stalking me or something? Are you posing like a hero of some sort? Well, let me inform you, I don't need a hero and the last thing I need is a jerk like you!"

Kilik's eyes narrowed. "If you think I'm trying to act like a hero, well, I'm not! 'Geez! What an ungrateful person! You save her and she'd drive you crazy!"

"I told you, I don't need your help! Just go! Go away!"

"Fine! Here's your key. I was going to give it to you peaceably but here you are, initiating another argument!" Kilik produced a key with a necklace string attached to it from his pocket. He held the string causing the key to dangle and swing in a pendulum-like manner.

"Oh, I'm touched—" she said sarcastically when she saw the key.

"Don't get the idea," he warned her. "I only came so that you won't come back to my room and ruin its peace. You've caused me a lot of trouble lately; I don't want any more bad luck from you coming to my room."

Xianghua quickly snatched the key with a frown on her face, turned her back on him and started to walk away.

Kilik called her from behind: "Hey, I hope I don't have to save you again. And don't get too proud, that match we had at the arena doesn't matter if you're weak with real enemies."

Xianghua bit her lip hard, restraining herself, as she continued to walk away from him. Kilik watched her for a moment as the itch to pounce on her once again nagged at him, causing him to utter these words:

"Great of you to be able to manage yourself without anybody's help. Are you going to sleep in the forest? Or do I have to carry you on my back to get you home? The town is back there while the forest is where you're going." He snorted. "What a child. This is just a small town; how could anybody get lost in it…"

That did it.

Whatever restraint Xianghua had for him shattered completely. She marched back towards Kilik who, sensing her fiery hostility building up rapidly against him, shielded his arm to protect himself from what slap on the face he expected from her until—

"Ahh!" Kilik cried as he bended down to clutch his painful shin which she kicked violently. Not yet satisfied with it, Xianghua kneed him on his chest and pounded his bended back with her clasped hands.

Blag!

Kilik collapsed on the ground.

"Ow!" He couldn't decide which of his aching body parts he wanted grasp to decrease its throbbing pain. He contented himself by holding his shin as he growled threateningly towards her. "Why you—"

"Speak again and I'll give you something worse than that!" she yelled, blowing a blast of air after she spoke. "Oohhh, I should've beaten you all the way...!" With a scowl, she turned her back on him and quickly walked towards the path headed to the village. She stepped at the fallen body of one of her earlier harassers.

"Oof!" The downed man squeaked.

"You little brat! Come back here!" Kilik called as he tried to stand but stumbled again as the pain on his leg flared and seized him. She didn't hear him, though, as she quickly disappeared into the darkness.

-0-

Xianghua's feet pounded on the moonlit dirt streets as she marched angrily, her breath sounding noisily through her nostrils as she tried to fight back her tears that forcibly tried to run down her cheeks.

She was a bomb waiting to explode. Ooh, she felt that she could beat him into a pulp!

'_That jerk...! Who is he to call me a child and to call me weak?' she thought. S_he sighed as another thought passed by her mind. '_Why does it have to pile up like this?_ _Why are these things happening just when I'm weak and unstable…? Weak…_'

That word…

Upon reaching her door, she fumbled to unlock it with her key and opened it. Slamming the door shut behind her, she dove to her bed, grabbed a pillow, buried her head under it and screamed—screaming all her fury, her frustrations, her bitterness and all the things that troubled her.

She pounded on her bed as she released her dammed up emotions, tears finally streaming on her cheeks. A long haunting, muffled, angry squeal escaped through her closed windows, rising towards the clouds, catching the attention of nocturnal animals nearby and singing a dreary lullaby to everyone who was sleeping. She proceeded with it until she exhausted her throat and started to cry. Sobs and whimpers, coughs and sniffles—they went on until she tired herself and fell sleep.

The air was cold outside, announcing the incoming winter while silhouettes of trees stripped of their leaves stood with their branches held stiffly, creaking against the strong winds—almost shivering in the cold. The winds whistled as they swooped along the trees, tapping on the wooden windows of the houses within the village but failing to wake the people who slept soundly, nestled warmly on their beds.

-0-

Xianghua's eyes snapped open upon sensing someone inside her room. She could not see that someone nor hear any sounds produced by that someone… but she knew he was there. Sliding her arm noiselessly towards a familiar item under her pillow, she grabbed it and waited for the suspicious presence to get near her.

A shadow of a body finally revealed itself against the moonlight as the unknown person reached her side, arms slowly extending towards her, hands initiating contact—

Whirling around from her face down position, she adeptly swung her sword towards her unsuspecting intruder stopping only as her weapon lightly touched his neck.

"What are you doing here?" she spoke with an chilly lowered voice.

"Shh! Hurry and get up before they get here. We have no time to lose. Quick, pack everything you have and prepare to leave." Kilik rapidly whispered as he pushed her sword away, eyes glancing around, suspecting someone to be spying on them.

Xianghua only sat up and eyed him savagely. "You've got nerve to show yourself in my room. Get out now!"

Kilik actually had to pull her up from her bed against her resistance in order to set her upright. She shoved him away.

Kilik's eyes glowered at her but managed to remain calm.

"Come on. We don't have time for this. Hurry up, I'll explain later."

She looked at him and finally saw a profound urgency upon him. She got up and did as he said, hastily folding her clothes and stuffing them into a linen knapsack. Kilik helped her with the folding much to her initial resistance.

"Don't put all your belongings in it. Make sure it's light to carry."

"I know! You don't have to instruct me all the details," she snapped at him.

-0-

Kilik led the way as the two of them snaked through the alleys of houses, avoiding the main roads of the village. The moon shone its full brilliance, unobstructed by any clouds. Its light made their travel easier with everything nearly visible before them, helping them to avoid stumbling on the villagers' tools and wooden boxes laid outside their homes. On the contrary, it also endangered their flight because it also made them easily seen forcing them to hide in the shadows. They headed west towards the direction of the forest.

"Wait!" Xianghua called Kilik amidst her panting. "I need to go back. I left my mother's comb."

She was referring to a jade comb given to her by her mother. Kilik stopped and looked at her, sizing the situation and panting silently, knowing that the item was the only thing handed down to her by her deceased mother.

"No, it's too risky. You won't be able to escape if you do."

She paid no attention but started to go back until Kilik caught her arm.

"No! Listen to me—!"

"Why do I have to? I'm not your _donkey_ that you could steer anywhere you please."

"Come on, listen to me."

"Why?"

"Because it's the only way that both of us could survive."

Xianghua calmed down although the glow of anger in her face remained.

"I'll send someone else for it later but right now, we must hurry and flee this village," Kilik said.

"How can I be sure that you're not making this up?"

"Trust me. Listen, I've been here for a month and I've known this village. I've learned from my sources that the imperial eunuch who rules this village takes good warriors from the arena to his service regardless of their will. He takes them by force if he couldn't get them by persuasion or worse, he kills them," he paused for a moment to emphasize the gravity of his statement.

He continued: "As to how he uses them, I don't know. Tonight, I've been approached and persuaded by his men but I declined. I've also noticed them heading to my room as I was going back, which prompted me to escape. I'm not their prey alone, however. I'm sure you've caught their eyes by the skills you showed earlier this night. You're most likely their target as well."

Kilik could see her torn between the urgency of the situation and the loss of her precious item. He could tell that the comb meant so much to her.

"I'll send someone for it after we escape," he tried to reassure her again. She hesitated for a moment but her face softened eventually-the ferocity and icy coldness melting away-leaving an expression of hope. Her face was imploring him—even subconsciously trusting him momentarily for this sentimental treasure which she prized with great value. She had no other choice.

Kilik felt a pang of guilt seize him upon seeing that hope in her face. He was not sure how he could fulfill the promise uttered primarily to keep her from going back…

He would have to think of something later…

"Let's go," he said, as he brushed the feeling away.

They traveled wordlessly for half an hour, hiding in the shadows, stealthily avoiding anybody's notice. They were fortunate at having evaded detection by patrolling soldiers that had suddenly appeared on the main streets. The wind whipped at their bodies as the coldest hour of the night arrived. Both shivered silently as they scurried because neither of their clothes were suited for this kind of temperature.

Kilik was tempted to take his cloak from the knapsack and wrap it around him as he was only clothed in linen pants and long sleeved shirt which were useless against the chill of the night. He quickly rejected the idea, though, having no plans of stopping to obtain the item. Xianghua, behind him, contented herself with hugging her shoulders and pulling her knapsack tighter against her back.

They turned to another steep corner onto another narrow alley about eight feet wide. As they did so, they nearly crashed onto five armed men, dressed for battle, stationed as if to ambush them. They quickly turned around to flee to the opposite side but were cut of by another set of five men, weapons drawn and ready to fight them. Kilik could tell that both groups were the village's army by their maroon uniform.

Back to back, Kilik and Xianghua stood together, their weapons on their hands. Houses stood on their left and right blocking any chances of escape. Both groups of soldiers cut the fugitives' westward and eastward escape .

A civilian dressed in a dignified fashion split one of the groups as he came in front of the surrounded pair. He was a young man, nearly as old as Xianghua, slightly shorter than Kilik, with long arms and a long crimson flowing robe that touched the ground. He spoke with a cold, calm voice that mimics the midnight autumn wind that blew at their chilled skins.

"Greetings warriors. Tonight you meet your initiation or your death." The pair looked at the newcomer critically. Xianghua's eyes widened, recognizing the newcomer.

"Who are you?" Kilik demanded questioningly, although he had a hint about his identity.

"Come on, you cannot be unknowledgeable about my identity."

"Wei Zhongxian!" Xianghua murmured.

"That's right. You guessed it right. I'm the emperor's eunuch, Wei Zhongxian, ruler of this village," he said. His eyes shifted from Kilik to Xianghua but finally settled onto the latter's eyes. The eunuch narrowed his eyes, thinking about something from a distant past.

"I recognize you… hmmm… That's right…" he said with raised eyebrows. Kilik stared at the two, surprised that both are acquainted—although, not in a positive way.

"You are the imperial guard—no, you were stripped off your rank and demoted to… grunt soldier," the eunuch continued. "Fascinating. So here you are, renegade grunt, after deserting the imperial army—"

"You dare speak! You're the one who corrupted the emperor. You should have considered leaving your position after all you've done. At least, you could have spared your honor—unless your corrupted mind has deprived you of one!" Xianghua growled.

The dignified man narrowed his eyes in disgust.

"Keep your accusations to yourself," he snorted. "I do not know what you're talking about. You're not in the position to speak as you do. Are you not aware that there is a price on your head because of your cowardly deed? And aside from that, isn't it obvious that you are trapped and at my mercy at the moment?"

She stubbornly replied, "I do not care."

"Perhaps you would if I tell you that your family are held hostage on account of you for as long as you are a fugitive—"

"Liar!

Wei snickered. "Has your months of hiding made you blunt? Do you not know that I am recently promoted and am now the emperor's highest ranking official? I have the power to do as I please..."

"I do not believe you!"

"Believe what you want, but in the end, whatever you decide dictates the outcome of your family in my hands."

"You!" Xianghua marched towards the robed man causing Kilik to grab her arm to restrain her, yelling:

"Xianghua, wait!"

Shing! Multiple swords were drawn and pointed towards her. Xianghua froze with her head held back as she felt the pointed ends of their weapons brushing her neck. Kilik held his breath. The eunuch glared at her viciously and his voice began to drip with venomous poison as he resumed his speech.

"You have no choice, woman," he spat. "You are in my land, in the middle of my people and at the sword point of my soldiers. I warn you, don't aggravate them. They are the best in the country, elite and well-trained men. I have quick messengers that could transmit my decision for the outcome of your family in case you do not cooperate. Believe me, you would not want to test its truth because you would only lose your family in the process."

Xianghua's eyes moved furiously, frantically searching for answers. Her eyes attempted to glance at Kilik's but fell short from making an eye contact with him.

"Xianghua," Kilik whispered. "Be careful. He may be trying to manipulate you."

"…I know that you're father and mother is not of this world anymore, but what about your aunt, your cousins and your niece. (sigh) Do you ever wonder where they are?" Wei murmured.

"What do you want with me?" Xianghua demanded of him, ignoring Kilik's advice.

"Be my slave. You see, I'm in need of good warriors recently and I feel that you are capable of the job. That's the reason why I built the arena. It is where I screen warriors, sifting the weak and discovering the strong. You have passed the test and so I want you."

"And what of my companion?" she asked, referring to Kilik.

"Ofcourse, he is part of the package with you. Both of you will become part of a powerful army that I am building—an army selected from the best warriors of the land. People will bow under its strength and nothing can stand up against it. Take my offer and you will be absolved of your crime against the country. I will also set your family free."

Kilik stared at her, wanting to communicate with her about the situation. Again, Xianghua fell short of making an eye contact with him.

"Back off Kilik," she warned softly as she avoided looking at his eyes. "This involves my family."

Kilik wanted to point out that this also involved himself, but giving up on the idea, he kept quiet.

There was a long period of silence as Xianghua stared on the ground in what seemed like a trance separating her completely from her surroundings, making her unaware of the men surrounding her: unaware of Wei, of Kilik and of the soldiers with their swords pointed at her. The wind blew on her face, numbing it. The houses surrounding her became absorbed with the engulfing darkness all about and both became indistinguishable to her. Each breath that she took became all the sound audible to her.

For an eternal-like moment, she was being pulled into two separate directions. Her family lay on one side while her path to travel in search for the cursed sword and the fate of her companion lay on the other. She had to choose what is of higher importance. She was torn, not willing to sacrifice either of them and consequently, could not come to a decision.

"Xianghua, you are like the water," she could hear her mother telling her over and over again. "When it has nowhere to go, it creates a new path for itself. Use that strong determination of yours to reach what is must and take your destiny…"

"Cut your own path…" was her mother's favorite phrase.

"…cut your own path…" her last mentor, the general also told her.

Slowly, everything went to their places. Ignoring the pain and pushing away the fear of what would be she grabbed onto the visible light in front of her and warped back to reality.

"…I _will_ cut my own path," she declared to herself and finally, she looked ahead to Wei.

"I have considered your offer."

"Well…" Wei said expectantly as Kilik looked at her critically.

"You can enslave our corpses after you kill us."

"Fool! You should have bargained!" Kilik hissed. "It would atleast give us more time to save your relatives. Now, you've made things more complicated!"

Xianghua didn't even looked at him but stood firmly on her resolve. She could not deviate from her destiny even at the cost of her family.

"Well, you've decided your fate and your family's." Wei concluded calmly. "Prepare to die."

He started to leave. At the moment he went past through his soldiers, the soldiers, ten in all, surrounded the doomed pair, their weapons held in their fighting stances. Kilik and Xianghua stood back to back, their knapsacks on their shoulders and their weapons on their hands. A loud yell of battle cry initiated the soldiers' convergence at the center, running with swords thrusting towards their captives.

Xianghua leaped into the air as the sword grazed air beneath her feet. She landed on their weapons crisscrossed together. She leaped again and performed a somersault past them landing outside the circle behind them.

At the same time, Kilik dropped to his side, just as the ten swords clashed onto each other, and spun on the ground, his weapon sweeping in a full circular motion tripping them.

Five got up and chased Xianghua while the other five remained with Kilik.

Kilik fought hard blocking all the weapons hacking at him, deflecting them. He was driven back as the soldiers pushed him in front of a house. Parrying one, he swung his weapon in a half arc. His foes merely jumped back avoiding his strike.

Xianghua swung her sword wildly all about her deflecting strikes her five enemies threw at her. She, too, was driven backwards towards another house. These men reminded her of the imperial guards whom she trained with and worked with four years ago, well-trained and efficient as fighters. The difference among them is the fact that her enemies right now were thrice much better and more difficult to fight with.

Her back hit the wall as she attempted to avoid a sword strike trying to gut her. The weapon sliced through her blouse, making a slender slit on it, exposing her skin to the cold wind outside. She gasped at the sudden gush of cold air. She ignored it, nevertheless, and counterattacked by spinning forward in three quick successions with her sword extended, forcing her enemies to back off.

She leaped forward hacking her sword at the direction of an enemy's knees. The strike was nimbly avoided, too, with the receiver of the strike performing a back flip.

She gritted her teeth in frustration. Tch! They were annoyingly very skillful!

As she recovered from her attack and start to stand, she suddenly sensed someone beside him. She turned her head just in time to receive a roundhouse kick at her head sending her spinning in the air. It was a good thing that she didn't loosen her grip to her sword when she received the impact of the kick.

She skidded on the ground as she landed. Dazed and dizzy from both the spin and the blow, she attempted to stand with her hands trying to lift herself off the ground. Looking up, there was another enemy, with his sword held over his head ready to strike her!

Kilik was in a wild frenzy, whirling his bo staff all about him, aggressively attacking his enemies who merely backed off evading his strikes. Suddenly, from the corner of his eyes, he caught the sight of Xianghua flying off the ground and spinning in the air. Predicting what was about to happen, he sidestepped another hostile vertical swing from an enemy soldier intending to cleave Kilik into two and sprinted towards where Xianghua was, more than a dozen yards from him.

He zigzagged through his enemies ducking and hopping over attacks thrown at him, running as fast as he could, hoping to save his companion.

His heart nearly stopped when, fifteen feet away in front of him, Xianghua's enemy, back turned towards Kilik, stood with arms extended to the dark sky and sword glistening under the moonlight, posed to slash the female warrior lying on the ground. Kilik, knowing that time was against him, took two more steps forward, stabbed his staff on the damp soil and used it to hurl himself, feet first towards Xianghua's assailant, sending the foe a powerful kick.

The enemy dropped his sword and was thrown forward by the impact. He landed on his chest several feet away.

Kilik grabbed Xianghua's wrist and pulled her upright.

"Oww!" she whimpered.

"Get up," Kilik ordered. "We don't stand a chance against them. We need to run."

She stood up unsteadily, propped and supported by her companion. The moment she was steadily on her feet, Kilik pulled her again and, together, they ran leaving a trail of ten warriors after them.

She resheathed her sword as they ran.

Huff. Puff. Huff. Their breaths along with their footsteps resounded on the dark alleys where they ran. They were headed westward, the direction of the forest. Not far from them, their foes were on hot pursuit.

Kilik scanned what he could make out of the silhouettes of objects leaning on the houses that walled their sides. Spotting a huge washing pan for clothes, he grabbed it, threw it behind and resumed his run, never pausing to look at the result of his actions.

The washing pan flew towards the enemies, hitting their group at the center causing some of them to tumble backwards. The men at the periphery of the group were able to avoid the hurled object at them and continued their chase.

Several yards ahead, Xianghua spotted another group of maroon uniformed soldiers starting to form a blockade in front of them.

"Kilik, ahead!"

"I know!" he replied. "To the right!"

He grabbed Xianghua's wrist and jerked her, making a steep turn towards another alley at the direction he indicated, their distance from the wall of soldiers just an arm's length as they made the steep curve. As they steered away from the blockade, they nearly crashed onto _another _wall of soldiers cutting their way.

"Whoa!" Xianghua yelled.

Kilik pulled her back and nearly dragged her to the opposite direction, passing the soldiers that they had attempted to evade previously. Both groups, including their original pursuers, now were on a hot chase after them.

"What were you trying to do? Are you planning to kill us?" she screamed at him.

"Shut up! I didn't know they were there!"

"They were standing there long enough. How could you not know they were there?"

"Cut it out and save your breath! If you want to lead the way, then be my guest!"

"Gladly!—"

Even before Xianghua finished speaking, another group of soldiers blocked their path several yards ahead.

"To the right!" she yelled.

"No! To the left!" Kilik replied.

"That's away from the forest—"

They weren't able to finish the argument because as they neared the blockade, both steered towards the direction they insisted at two opposite alley bends bisecting their path.

"Ahh!" Xianghua gave a short shriek as she came face to face with _another_ group of soldiers blocking her in her chosen alley bend. She ran back towards Kilik's direction. Kilik slowed down for her to catch up and upon meeting their distance, they resumed their full speed run.

"Fool! That's where they expected us to go!"

"Shut up!"

"Next time, just listen to me!"

"Now, where is that 'lead the way and be my guest' thing?" Xianghua grumbled.

"Forget it! You might kill us in the process!"

Xianghua shot Kilik a murderous glare. Kilik ignored her.

"They seem to be herding us towards something."

"Towards what?"

"How would I know?" Kilik snapped back irritatedly. Even through the peril they are now, they were still in cold blood towards each other because of the bickering they had hours ago.

True enough, in front of them, _**another**_ group of soldiers in two straight rows ran and formed another barricade in front of them. With nowhere to turn, Xianghua and Kilik braked and stopped. Behind them, heavy footsteps and clangs of metal were audible.

Xianghua looked behind them and noticed their pursuers gone. In their place were several men clad in full heavy metal armor covering their entire body from head to foot. They were carrying tall spears and large shields. At the sight, Xianghua's eyes widened as her jaw dropped. She reached her hand for Kilik's arm.

Kilik observed the two columns of soldiers that blocked their way and spotted something different among them. Instead of Chinese _jian_ swords that were in possession of their previous pursuers, these men held large bows with arrows and quivers strapped on their backs. The front column crouched on one knee while both columns posed their bows in front of them, drew an arrow from their quiver and stuck it on their bows—all in unison.

"Kilik…" Xianghua pulled at his sleeve.

"Xianghua! Duck!"

Kilik dived and drag her to the ground as arrows shot over them. The arrows bounced off harmlessly on the soldier's armors.

"For goodness sake, could you warn me before pushing me to the ground? Get off me! You're crushing me!"

Kilik tilted his body away from her. "I would if you're not such a drag in these situations. Thrice I have to save you—"

"Well, thanks a lot!" she cut him off sarcastically.

"Forget it! Come on! Through the armored men!"

"What?"

Kilik dashed towards the armored men with Xianghua behind him as the archers reload their bows. The men held their shields in front of them with their spears pointed at the incoming fugitives. As the two neared the armored soldiers, Kilik dropped to the ground and slid foot first towards the blockade of soldiers. He slid kick one of the metal clad foes tripping him while Kilik shot past through him avoiding the toppling foe. Xianghua leapt over the fallen armored enemy, now sprawled with his chest on the ground. She ran past Kilik who just got up and was just starting to run.

The archers finally released another barrage of missiles which only hit the armored men once again and bounced off harmlessly.

"Are you crazy? That was the most reckless thing I've ever saw!" Xianghua yelled when both were running side by side.

"Well, do you have another plan? If we get past the archers, they would shoot us from behind. There are no alley turns beyond them for about a hundred yards. Atleast from here, those tin men would block the arrows from us!"

As the two headed back where they came from, their pursuers hiding in between the houses reemerged and followed behind. Kilik and Xianghua anticipated another blockade if they followed their previous path, hence, they went straight ahead instead of curving right at the bisection point where both argued before.

True enough, no one cut them in their track.

Atlast, they emerged at the main road of the village. The forest was a couple of hundred more yards ahead. They could see the top of the dome-shaped arena tent, towering over the houses in front of them.

It seemed that they lost their pursuers. They could not hear any footsteps behind them.

Suddenly, through her peripheral vision, Xianghua sensed some people running behind the houses that sandwiched the main road. Through the slits in between the houses, she could intermittently see maroon uniformed armed men.

"Kilik, they're going to cut us!"

"I know! What's your plan?"

"I have no plan! What's yours?"

"I don't know. Outrun them and hope we've passed them once they attempt to cut us?"

"Oh, great! That plan is next to nothing!"

"Well, it's better than nothing!"

They have passed the dome arena tent with the forest a hundred and fifty more yards ahead. They could see the entrance of the forest.

Out of nowhere, three layers of metal clad soldiers jogged in unison and barricaded the path in front of the forest. As they finished their formation, the maroon soldiers gushed through the alleys of houses and started to line the side of the road.

"They're surrounding us!" Xianghua yelled anxiously.

"Archers behind us!" Kilik replied.

Xianghua's made a small glance behind and indeed saw a company of archers. Her heart fell at the sight of the grim situation they were suddenly engulfed in.

"It's over." Xianghua wailed.

"Don't stop running!" Kilik yelled.

"We're doomed!"

"I said don't stop!"

Kilik used every bit of his optimism to keep hisown moral from plunging down. Already, only his words contained confidence in him. Still, refusing to surrender to what seemed their fate, he searched his surroundings for, at the very least, ideas on how they could out-maneuver the situation.

Houses on the sides. Soldiers ahead. The forest is beyond the enemies.

There's a lone tree between him and the metal clad foes. Wait... There's something leaning on the tree.

"Hold this for me." Kilik tossed his staff onto Xianghua.

"What are you planning?"

"When I said so, hold me."

"I would never do such a thing!"

"Just do it!"

"Of all the places—? Hold yourself if you want some comfort!"

They were closing in on the armored men.

"Now! Grab onto me!"

"What—?"

Kilik scooped up Xianghua with one arm and slung her onto his shoulder.

"Put me down! You're touching my butt!"

He ignored her and upon reaching the lone tree, he grabbed a long bamboo pole that was leaning on the great plant. The pole was thrice his height, with a net at one of its end, and is used by the villagers for reaching and picking off nuts and fruits from tall trees.

He fixed his grasp on the pole, placing his hand near the net end. Stabbing its other end to the ground, he used it to make a long, high vault over the three columns of metal clad soldiers, jumping over them.

Xianghua screamed in mid-air.

The two were suspended in the air for several seconds before they took a hard landing. She rolled sideways towards the forest on the ground while he skidded on the same direction.

It took some time before their enemies recovered their senses and made an even hotter pursuit after them. This time, everyone was involved in the chase: from the soldiers to the archers to the metal armored men.

"Get up!" Kilik said to Xianghua as he picked up his fallen staff.

Xianghua tried to get up but flinched and nearly fell.

"Ahh! I twisted my foot!"

"That's fine! Run!"

Kilik half-pulled, half-dragged her as they scrambled to the forest. It was a difficult task for him with his stamina nearly gone from all the recent running and the battles he had at the arena hours ago. Adding to that is Xianghua's weight, holding him back; she was limping because of their fall. Arrows zipped past them as they flinched when one get too close to their heads.

Finally, the two entered the forest and the barrage of arrows ceased with the trees standing in between the them and the archers way behind them. Both of them were gasping for breath, drenched with sweat that chilled them in the night breeze. The forest slowed their progress with the unseen roots nearly tripping them as they ran.

They could hear men's voices behind them although the sounds came from afar. It seemed that the metal clad soldiers gave up their chase because their heavy metal armor would drag and slow them down in the forest. The maroon soldiers and the archers mostly likely were the only ones pursuing them. Indeed, the two could not hear metal boots pounding on the forest soil.

Kilik could not ignore the stinging pain on his chest any longer; he felt he was at his limit. He also knew that Xianghua, although uncomplaining, could not run anymore because of the pain on her foot.

"Let's hide under one of the tree roots," he said.

"Right!" she replied, and Xianghua could not agree more.

Spotting a suitable hiding place, they limped towards it and sat in silence. Not long after, their pursuers came running and passing over them. The archers and the maroon clothed swordsmen, numbering more than a hundred, trampled noisily at the flora on the ground, frightening all the nocturnal and asleep day animals alike. It took quite a while before they were gone.

Xianghua and Kilik breathed quietly moments after the last remnants of the enemies were gone. Xianghua crouched wide-eyed, finding it hard to believe that an amount of men like that were all on hot pursuit after them.

"Let's go." Kilik quietly said as he stood, aided by his staff. Xianghua winced in pain as she got up slowly, limping behind him.

They trudged slowly, never meeting an enemy as they hiked for another hour. They walked on the lone path ahead of them. Coming across forks on the forest dirt road, they chose paths carefully, trying to predict where the bulk of their enemies went and avoiding that path. It was a difficult task due to the darkness that made searching for footsteps on the forest soil difficult.

The first beam of sunlight announced the coming of day break. It happened as they came upon a clearing of trees with tree stumps surrounding an old cottage.

"A house…! In the middle of the forest?" Xianghua gasped.

"We'll have to check it out first to see if it's safe." Kilik answered.

_**The End.**_

-0-

_Atlast, it's done. I made a lot of research in this chapter, including Wei Zongxian (he's a real eunuch in this time period), the characters backstories (in gamefaqs dot com), about how to write a fiction (I've recently downloaded an e-book about that, really nice!) and about pole vault. The scene where Kilik made a long jump using a bamboo pole was inspired by the recent Olympics. It's the pole vault. I got the idea from watching one such event. Lol. That's all. I hope I can write faster next time. Btw, I'm sorry Ronindrake, I told you that an explanation about Zasalamel is supposed to be in this chapter. Well, originally, I intended chapter 2 and 3 to be one chapter. But, well, they were lengthy so I split __them into two. That explanation would hopefully be on the next. P.S. If you want a copy of the e-book, just go to literaryzone dot com and download it for free. The name of the ebook is 'Begin Writing Fiction.' It really helped me._

Lastly, if you liked it, please place a review. Thanks. ;)


	4. Chapter 4: The Raid

_Disclaimer:__ I don't own Soul Calibur or the franchise. I'm just someone who writes a fanfiction._

**Chapter 4: The Raid  
**

**-0-  
**

The sun gave an amber yellowish hue to the surroundings while its rays of sunlight shooting like arrows to the earth below were playfully and intermittently obstructed by clouds that looked like sheep and lambs passing by. The air felt hot and humid while the gentle touch of the unseen wind was a rare delicacy for the sweat drenched skin at this day of the year and time of the day.

Grass that filled the soil, chest high, solemnly stood like soldiers in formation but never stiffly in attention—just standing, missing the melody of the wind that caused them to dance in its presence. Trees stood at the back watching this lackluster event. The hills that form the curvature of the ground below dictated the rise and fall of its flora in their natural elevation.

Amidst the unspeaking, unintelligent living and non-living beings, there stood a young man with his back towards the trees and his face staring far ahead the horizon. The staff in his hand paralleled his posture as he held it close to his chest. He had been standing there among the tall grass long enough for the small animals to mistake him as an inanimate part of nature.

"Kilik," a familiar soprano voice called to him from behind. "Take a look at these flowers that I saw among the wild grasses by the big rocks. Aren't they adorable?"

The owner of the voice, Xianghua, stopped upon seeing him in his pose. He never moved a muscle but stood there like a monument, soundless and motionless.

"Kilik? Is something wrong?" she asked inquisitively.

She started to approach his side, lifting her feet high as she walked, trying to best the tall grasses that hampered her way towards his side. Upon reaching him, she stared at his sun-burnt face and saw his closed eyes that seemed to be staring through his closed eyelids.

"Is something wrong?" she asked again, forgetting about the dainty flowers that she carried.

"We have a visitor…" he replied.

"Is he friendly or hostile?"

"…that I cannot assure for now…"

"Do we need to run away from him or are we to meet him?"

"No, we are to meet him here…"

Xianghua squinted her eyes and cupped her left hand over it to protect it from the sun's glare. She gazed far ahead, scanning as far as her curious eyes could reach although her view was limited because of the rolling hills and the grass that added to its height before her. It was a beautiful sight for her that she forgot for a while the reason why she was standing there beside her companion.

Finally, a cooling gust of wind blew on them, soothing their hot, sweat soaked bodies. Xianghua's shoulder-length hair flapped at her face and their clothes violently shook upon them as the grasses that stood in attention, finally danced in their pleasures. Carried by the wind, an immaterial, unidentified aura drifted to them, filling their senses.

"He's finally here, isn't he?" Xianghua said, furrowing her eyebrows together, when she sensed the aura and saw the top of a white hood ascending behind one of the hills and eventually revealing an ebony-skinned man covered in white robe with a hood over his head. The man was holding a bizarre-looking staff with a beak-shaped top end as he approached the two.

"Yes. It is him." Kilik replied, finally opening his eyes and looking at the direction where Xianghua pointed. The two looked at the incoming stranger curiously.

"Greetings," Kilik greeted once the stranger was finally in front of them. "You spoke to me last night… in a dream and told me to meet you here. I'd like to know who you might be and whether or not you spoke to me."

"Ah, my friend, I am Zasalamel," the newcomer replied in a deep voice. "and indeed, I requested you to meet me here. I have a very important message to convey to you."

"And what is the message about?"

"That your life doesn't have much time to live."

Kilik and Xianghua's eyebrows knitted as both stared at the man intently. Although baffled with the unexpected message, Kilik maintained his calm voice as he answered and neither anxiety nor panic was ever traced from it.

"I understand that our journey brings us peril and brushes us close with death but tell me, is that from a vision? Is its purpose to warn us of something that we need be wary of?"

"Oh no, they are all far from that," with that the Zasalamel's lips curved upwards. "You don't have time to be wary of the danger because your death is about to happen right now by my hands."

The two Asians froze as they contemplated the stranger's statements letting the realizations slowly sink in.

Zasalamel chuckled. "Why do you hesitate? Draw your weapon and provide me some amusement."

With that, the stranger widened his feet in a side stance holding his weapon behind with one hand and placing an open palm between him and his foes. From afar, the weapon that the dark skinned warrior carried had looked like a staff used for sorcery but up-close it posed as a menacing weapon with the top end of its long handle connected towards a blade with its sharp part located at its inner side, arching onwards as it went straight up and then curving frontally until it ends with a pointed tip. Overall, the bladed end reminded Kilik of a vulture's beak. Meanwhile, the lower end of the weapon ended with a sharp pointed tip that could easily pierce through any flesh anytime its wielder desired it.

Kilik took hold of his own staff and widened his feet as he readied his weapon, gripping them steadily with both of his hands. Likewise, Xianghua drew her sword from the scabbard on her belt.

"Since you do not attack, I will begin this battle," Zasalamel announced. Right after releasing his words, he dashed at the direction of the two and swung his scythe in a horizontal motion upon nearing them. Both of his opponents jumped back and dodged the attack. The weapon was only able to cleave the upper tips of the grass shaft standing with them causing them to fall insignificantly.

He continued the attack and pulled his scythe sideward right. Stepping one foot at a time, he swung another set of side swings and paused. Avoiding the swings, Xianghua retaliated and leaped high in the air punishing the dark skinned stranger for stopping in his offensive with a vertical slash as she landed down. The man spun out of her way and kicked her squarely in the abdomen making her stagger backwards. He stared at her—no, he glared at her with his left eye suddenly glowing with fiery yellow color making her stop on her movements.

Kilik charged at him holding his staff back as he ran and swinging his weapon with a full momentum in a downward vertical motion as he neared the dark-skinned enemy. Zasalamel, unflinchingly turned to Kilik's direction and raised his staff with both hands to block the Asian man's attack.

Kilik, the moment his weapon clashed with the other's, made a leap and sent a spiral kick at the level of his foe's head but only hit the shaft of the scythe, as Zasalamel raised it in defense, causing its wielder to step back. The Asian followed it up with a flurry more and combinations of strikes coming from all sorts of directions. Zasalamel easily blocked them one by one, spinning and dodging, stepping back—never giving the aggressor any chance to hit him with any blow.

Getting farther and farther away from the scene of action, there stood Xianghua. She could not explain why but her limbs held stiffly against her will. She froze but she didn't know why; although her mind told her to move, her body refused to cooperate. Then, it occurred to her: it was that eye that glared at her, sending in her body something like a poison that paralyzed her. The sensation wasn't the effect of a physical substance that could induce physical manifestations, rather, it felt like something gnawing in her soul.

The feeling…

It was not something unfamiliar…

It was a feeling shared by all beings…

Fear! It was it all along that inhibited her movements. She tried to fight it to no avail; she could only watch helplessly as the battle raged on in front of her.

Kilik raised his staff before him to block a downward strike from his opponent. Clang! The inner side of the beak-liked weapon clashed and hooked onto his. Suddenly, he found himself being jerked towards his opponent as the owner of the scythe pulled him in. The tugging was quick for as soon as Kilik felt the pulling jolt, Zasalamel's foot quickly planted onto his chest and pushed him outwards along with the air in his lungs. He wheezed at the impact and reeled backwards. He clutched his chest momentarily with one hand as he gasped for breath. Zasalamel's lips turned up on one side in an uninterested smile.

"I'm quite disappointed with what you showed me. I half expected that the man who had defeated the wielder of Soul Edge some years ago is capable of atleast touching my body with that weapon. Well, since my time is short, I would have to finish my purpose here now. Therefore, defend yourself!"

Kilik was caught off-guard as his opponent quickly rushed him and attacked him. Kilik was barely able to raise his staff in defense and to protect himself from the initial attack. He staggered badly and was unable to recover as Zasalamel furiously slashed at him in speeds that he had not imagined before.

Cla-cla-cla-cla-clang!

Kilik backed and backed as he helplessly defended himself, never able to launch a counterattack.

From the moment she saw the waves upon waves of relentless strikes on her companion, her mind screamed with wrathful intensity as she struggled with all her strength to regain her mobility. Her hand felt tied down along with her waist and her legs while she tried to shake them loose. Suddenly, she realized why: the grass below her feet tangled on her limbs and waist. But as she looked down on them, the strands of grass suddenly turned into snakes coiling all around her with vicious fangs on their jaws. She shrieked in fear but her shrieks later became of distress and frustration when far beyond she saw her friend…

The sky that glowed with cheerful sunshine previously gradually turned to shades of dark grey, from the ominous clouds, and blood-red, from the incomprehensible hue of the sunlight that emanated from its previous color. The grass that stood tall and green were now dry and straw-colored while the trees that were once lush were now dead posts of lifeless branches and crisp, desiccated leaves.

Zasalamel continued his flurries leaping high in the air, sending an overhead strike, poking with the butt of his scythe, sending a spiral kick, continuing with a sweeping spiral kick, slashing vertically. Kilik, although his face never betrayed hopelessness, was helplessly on the desperate side, never planning, never biding his time—only receiving and defending all the strikes at the moment, trying to survive every second, trying to push his luck even further so as to avoid death…

Death…

He could feel it ever coming closer. He did not need to call it or feel its presence at the back of his neck…

He knew it was near. He knew it was calling him.

It was at this moment that Kilik made his mistake; his reflexes failed him when his fatigued arms failed to defend at the right time an incoming thrust of the head of the scythe. Kilik raised his staff in defense all too late causing him to stagger. Zasalamel spun once again with his weapon's blunt end hitting Kilik at his side causing him to freeze in pain. Zasalamel took the opportune time and grab his enemy's neck, dragged him towards himself and slung him to the ground.

Kilik landed with great impact on the hard soil causing him to be thrown into a state of stupor. His consciousness was failing him… his eyes were becoming heavy while eternal sleep was starting to claim him.

Zasalamel raised his arms, whirling his weapon above his head in his hands and began to plunge the butt end of his scythe at the fallen man's chest.

Farther away, Xianghua stood, witnessing every details of the battle and watching in agony as her friend was slowly pushed to his death. She gave up screaming some time ago and reverted to sobbing alone, giving up in her futile attempts to free herself. But as she saw Kilik fallen on the ground with their hostile foe about to drive the finishing strike to his heart, she once again burst in her wild attempts and shrieking. She flailed her arms and limbs, shaking her body to pry herself loose from all the stubborn reptiles that held her back. Eventually, the snakes transformed into deformed human arms that coiled around her limbs like thick ropes and hands that grasped at her limbs tenaciously. She paid them no attention as she persisted in her screaming.

Far in front of her, the lower pointed end of the scythe slowly descended on the unmoving Kilik. Xianghua watched as the two men drew near to her while the action was being done. She could not explain it but they were as if on a platform with wheels under it rolling towards her, enabling her to zoom up closely at the climactic event that she dreaded severely.

Her voice was mute for a moment. And then the metal pierced on the flesh…

"Noooo!" she shrieked at the top of her lungs. "KILIK!"

Zasalamel turned to her and looked at her with the side of his mouth curving upwards in a mocking gesture. Eventually, his face filled her vision as a booming low voice filled her ears.

"It is because you are weak! You have failed to protect your friend!" and the voice descended to a hiss. "Your fears have eaten up your heart and forever will it shall!"

As she shut her eyes to rid her vision of his face, his voice continued to taunt her with hisses and dreadful whispers that echoed in her ears.

"Weak…! Useless…!"

"You will never be able to protect those you cherish…"

"Pathetic! You will never be able to attain what you desire to achieve…!"

'Stop! NO!' she screamed in her mind.

She pressed her hands towards her ears tightly trying to block the sounds from penetrating it in vain.

-0-

Xianghua awoke gasping for breath and found herself lying on a hard wooden floor. She wiped the tears that started to form on her eyes with the back of her hand and crumpled up into a ball on her side sobbing, biting her lower lip to suppress the sounds of whimpers that she was about to produce.

When will this stop? When will this haunting memory cease to torture her? It had been five months since that dreadful day but why now? Her troubled mind tried to grasp the answers to her questions in a futile effort increasing her frustration and her dismay. This dream appeared three days ago and since then, has recurred consistently.

She stifled her emotions and managed to suppress them. She sighed them away, sobbing her last muffled sob and tried to get up. She stiffened and groaned as the muscles of her legs and the surface of her back flared in pain as she tried to erect herself in a sitting position. She almost cried in pain but was able to bite her lip once again before doing so.

"Where am I?" she murmured when she at last was successful to prop herself to a sitting position. Her eyes explored the uninteresting room. It was a small, rectangular-shaped room with hard wood floor and walls and a clay fireplace burning with dancing flames. She finally remembered that this was the same cottage that she spotted with Kilik amidst the clearing of the trees. She vaguely recalled how they roughly dragged themselves inside and blacked out in exhaustion.

How long has she been asleep? She looked around but couldn't tell with the door and windows all closed. It can't be midday, she thought, she felt like she had just slept for only a few hours; she still felt drowsy and her eyes were still painful from lack of sleep.

As she watched the fire in front of her, she wondered who started it. The place looked uninhabited and unclaimed except by herself. She quickly concluded that maybe Kilik did it… But where is Kilik?

Glancing around, she only observed the bareness of the room with a single square table at its center, four old wooden chairs at each side of the table, two stools standing side by side next to one of the room's walls and several large pieces of rolled up cloth-material lying at the back end of the room adjacent to the fireplace. There was no sign of him except for his worn knapsack lying around on the wooden floor.

She proceeded to look for him and was just about to stand when pain seized her left foot.

"Argh!" she bit her lip and suppressed any cry of pain that she would otherwise utter. She carefully took off her shoe and found out why: her foot was swollen and red; it was badly sprained. It might be due to her rough fall last night after vaulting with Kilik past those enemies who cornered them. She sighed and puffed up her cheeks; she would not be able to use this foot for a while. She stood up, avoided using her injured foot and hopped on her healthy foot towards the door on the left side of the fireplace.

The door abruptly opened with a loud creak and swung inside almost hitting her on her nose.

"Watch it!" said Kilik as Xianghua almost tumbled backwards. Kilik entered carrying in his arms a pile of firewood. He put some of them into the fire and piled the rest near the fire place. He noticed her injured foot as she limped back to her place.

"Hey, let me take a look at that foot you injured last night."

"No, it's fine, it's not very bad. You don't have to," she protested. He insisted and examined her foot while she was sitting on the floor.

"It looks awful," he assessed. "You can't walk on this thing. You have to rest until you can walk. I will find some herbal medicine to hasten its healing."

"No! We have to go. They might still be around. I can still travel on this."

"That's too risky. Your injury will only slow us down and once we're spotted, they could easily capture us. You're in no condition to run or fight."

"No—"

"Xianghua—"

"—I can if I tried. I can bear the pain and fight and travel—"

"—look, hey…"

"There's really nothing to worry about and I'm not staying here. I'm just not—"

"Would you please listen to me!" Kilik sharply cut her off leaving her sighing in an annoyed manner.

"Alright," she answered in an irritated voice with her eyebrows furrowed in upset. "I'm listening."

"Even if you could travel, your injury would tire you easily and you would not even last long in a pursuit. Besides, we don't have food and supplies and we don't know exactly where we're going. It would be more practical if we stay here and hide while you rest and I gather all the information and supplies that we need. If they come here searching for us, then we'll hide."

She blew the strands of hair sticking on her face when he mentioned about her resting.

'It's not as simple as that,' she thought.

Moreover, she hated her sick role. She detested being helpless in front of Kilik. But what can she do? Her swollen foot had already decided for her. Even if she wanted to move out of her own will, her condition has temporarily disabled her. And one thing bothered her still though: if the soldiers would search this house for them, Xianghua and Kilik would have very slim chances of escape.

"And where exactly will we hide?" she queried him doubtfully.

"The shed at the back of this house provides plenty of places to hide ourselves but that is unimportant right now. Atleast we are concealed for the moment and not trudging outside where they can easily spot us."

Unconvinced, she crossed her arms on her chest and frowned.

"I still think it is better if we're out of Wei's reach soon. He is persistent and unforgiving and would stop at nothing to seize what he desires," she frowned.

Kilik shrugged in response.

Suddenly, the door flew open with a loud noise surprising the two and causing them to divert their glances onto the opened door. A man with graying hair carrying an axe stepped inside and demanded intimidatingly:

"Who are you!" he growled. "What are you doing in my house?"

Kilik and Xianghua froze in silence, devoid of speech for the moment.

-0-

Around the square wooden table at the center of the room, Kilik sat at the back side with the owner of the house sitting in front of him and Xianghua between them both. Xianghua stared blankly at the wall that she was facing at the far end of the room and fidgeted uneasily. Kilik scanned the newcomer, trying to make a mental assessment out of him. The old man held his gray, shoulder-length hair in a pony tail with his face kept neat and beardless save for a few stubbles of hair here and there. He wore a rugged outfit common among the Chinese peasants in villages like the one they had encountered previously. His slit-like Asian eyes narrowed even more in a tight expression of annoyance at the two for intruding his home.

"We sincerely apologize for barging your home without permission," Kilik said solemnly.

"And using my firewood and my fireplace without permission. What is this place? A shelter for homeless people," he growled. "I do not house for charity, I want to make that clear. If you don't have any business with me, then SCRAM!"

"Please forgive us for using your home and everything in it as well without asking you but you see we don't have anywhere to stay and my companion here is injured. Could you let us stay for a couple of days."

Xianghua quickly shot Kilik a harsh look. The old man was infuriated because of their intrusion and here he was, boldly asking that man a favor. All she wanted to do was to leave the man peacefully while he was still capable of maintaining it…

"Ah, no, no, no. We can leave immediately—" Xianghua interjected giving Kilik a facial signal so that they could both leave.

"She is still unable to walk while the next village is quite far from here," Kilik insisted. "Please, she might injure her foot all the more as we hike towards it. We'd like to ask for a place to stay in your home."

Xianghua bit her lip and made a face at Kilik implicating the statement: what do you think are you doing? Kilik hardly seemed to notice her though. The man stood up abruptly knocking his chair back causing it to screech as its legs scraped the wooden floor.

"What! You're really bold young man!" he bellowed, pointing a shaking finger at him. "For someone at fault, you still have the courage to ask me a favor? Who are you anyway that I should permit you to stay here? For all I know, you might be foxy devils who would rob my humble home when I'm not around. Or worse, you could be the village's rumored fugitives that escaped last night—" he abruptly stopped and eyed them suspiciously. "Say! Aren't you the man and the woman whom the village's soldiers were pursuing last night?"

Kilik restrained his face from showing surprise and alarm and kept his mask of calmness.

"No," he lied.

Xianghua, on the other hand, froze in fear, with her eyes in a wide-eyed stare and her face broadcasting her fright and the hint of the truth that the angry old man accused them of.

"I see. So you were the ones," the man deduced. Xianghua's face tightened all the more with anxiety. The man paced to and fro in front of her for a while and then finally faced them.

"What did you do that made them chase you?"

Kilik honestly replied: "Nothing—"

The man banged his fist onto the table causing both to flinch.

"What do you mean nothing? Those men do not fool around chasing rabbits in the forest! Now tell me before I make you! Don't think that I'm a fool who don't know the happenings in the village. I just went there and heard why those soldiers were after you."

Both stared blankly at him, neither knowing what he was talking about.

"I'll tell you why," he continued, unnoticing their blank stares. "It's because you are two barbarous couples possessing a shard of an evil sword, trying to kill people in the village, massacring the village militia and even attempted to assassinate the Imperial Eunuch here in his homeland."

The two gave him a gaping look, not disturbed by the rest of the exaggerated claims that were charged against them but disturbed rather by the first one. How had Wei known that they were carrying a shard of Soul Edge? They had concealed it underneath their knapsacks and were careful to avoid letting anybody see it. Even more, they had wrapped it in a cloth sealed with a talisman to contain the evil energy that it possessed. Or was it a big issue in this village that he would use it to incite the people against them regardless if they had it or not? Was that particular charge only a hoax and a bluff to put them at a disadvantage?

"Why are you looking at me like that?" the man growled. "Are you surprised by all these charges against you? Well, I'm not surprised at all…"

At that, Kilik and Xianghua looked at the man in alarm. It seemed that he believed every bit of the rumors about them that had been mysteriously circulated in the village. Kilik indignantly suspected that all of these are schemes of the crafty Wei. The eunuch just wouldn't let them go quietly. If ever they were to return to the village, they are marked conspicuously and would be at the mercy of the villagers who would gladly turn these rumored violent pair to the authorities.

On the other hand, Xianghua worried more of their immediate danger of being turned over to their pursuers by this man. She didn't want to hurt or threaten him just because he believed this falsely spread tale about them. He was an innocent bystander after all with faulty information. However, she feared even more the soldiers who would try to capture them once they got hint from this old man.

"…I shouldn't be surprised. Those bunch of weeds are known to exaggerate _exaggeratedly_. A child's story is much more believable than them; I'd believe them as I would a tall tale lad."

Xianghua blinked twice. She wasn't sure if she was hearing right from this man. A while ago he was about to devour them figuratively but now…

"Nah, calm down!" he said, waving his hand down in front of himself. "I was just testing who you are. I somewhat knew that you were the ones the villagers are talking about. But I knew from the very start that the talks came from false reports that the soldiers spread in order to find you easier when you return to the village. Those good-for-nothing soldiers! They oppress the villagers just because they have arms; I have no sympathy for them. And besides, I've been excited in meeting the persons that became thorns on Wei's hands…" he stopped upon noticing that the two were frozen stiff and hadn't moved a muscle yet.

"Hey, break off that rigidity! I'm not going to swallow you for lunch! You're both safe here. I assure you that."

Only then were Xianghua and Kilik finally able to relax. The old man smiled, showing his full teeth and the crinkles at the lateral edges of his eyes, and gave a soft hearty laugh.

"I'm Zhi. It's nice to have you here in my humble lodging for the next few days."

"You mean you're really allowing us to stay here for the night?" Kilik asked, he himself beaming with a smile at the sudden release of the indoor tension.

"Not just tonight but until this girl here recovers and both of you are ready to continue your trek."

Both expressed their gratitude lavishly at Zhi. The latter blushed and attempted to pacify the two wildly expressive youths.

"Heh. I've never had company in my home for a long time," the elderly testified. "Night times are dull for me and both of your companies would certainly make my evenings more cheerful. But hey, I've got to know your names first."

The two introduced themselves gladly.

"I really hope that we do not cause you any burden for staying here," Xianghua said apologetically.

"Oh, stop that nonsense! I've already told you: your company is most welcome and I myself would enjoy having people once again in my home."

"Oh, so you mean other people used to live here with you." she chimed curiously.

"Well, that was a long time ago. But I'm still curious; you were the ones being chased early this morning, right? I saw it in both of your eyes. Why do you think are they after you, if I may ask? You can feel free to tell me. I myself oppose those dishonest soldiers, though not openly," Zhi took a seat once again besides Xianghua, eyeing both with keen interest.

"All I can think of is the fact that we rejected his offer to recruit us into the army he said he was building and…" she paused and thought. "But that doesn't make any sense at all. That is not a sufficient reason to chase us all the way in the forest and search for us extensively." She furrowed her brows in a thoughtful expression.

"I agree with you. That crafty eunuch would not send his army in an extensive search for you unless he wants something from you badly or else he doesn't want you to escape or unless he wants you exterminated. What do you think Kilik?"

"Yes, that is most correct. There is something mysterious by the way he mobilized his army. In the village, he seemed to have used his entire force to capture us. Not only did he use swift foot soldiers but he also utilized heavy armored infantry and archers as well. It was as if he would not accept anything but our capture or demise."

"Right. I've heard of events similar to this before. He uses force all the time to convince warriors that had attracted his notice to join him. However, it didn't come to the point of utilizing his entire army after them. Well, I guess that is partly because no one has survived any escape attempt from him. Nevertheless, I know he is a practical man; he would let anyone go if he had proven them too slippery for his grasp; that is unless his pride has got the best of him this time."

Xianghua's eyes went wide. "You mean to say that we are the first one to successfully escape his grasp?" She felt giddy at the thought that their chance of escape earlier was similar to going through a needle's eye. She was thankful she hadn't known this while they were running away from the soldiers.

"Yes. Haven't you known that his army, small as it is yet, is very powerful? They are also called as 'Heaven's Fist' or simply the 'Elite Army' and they have lived up to their name, crushing anyone who opposes them as a tiger crushes its prey between its fangs."

"We had known that; he told us that directly but it hadn't occurred to me that they are _that _good!"

"Lucky for you to have lived to hear me warn you again but next time, be really cautious with them. All of them, to the least soldier, are champions of champions, selected carefully in Wei's brutal arena and honed to perfection to be a ruthless force which mercenaries and armies alike fear… It must mean that both of you are very skilled warriors to have enticed his notice.

"What made you alarmed when I mentioned about the reports about you?"

Xianghua and Kilik looked at each other. They were hesitant to tell the old man that they really had the shards of Soul Edge. The people they've encountered before had mixed reactions when they saw the shard of Soul Edge in their hands. Some shunned and feared them while others covet it from them to the point of attempting to kill them.

"It's the shard of Soul Edge, right?" Zhi said; surprisingly, the old man was able to read their minds. "…So one part of the report was true."

"It's not what you think—" Kilik put in.

"Don't worry. I sense that you have your own reasons for having possession of it. I feel your good intentions for having it. I will not cast you out."

"Thank you," Xianghua said sincerely. "But why do you help us like this? Don't you know that we put your life in danger? And this shard—"

"Hush child. I have my reasons. I know what I'm doing. Even the shard, I know what it really is. I know that it deceives its wielders and siphons the life out of them and cause them to become evil. However, for some reason, I know that you've overcome the influence of the sword. As for not throwing you out, I could never deny my help to those in need. Let's just say that I'm also partly doing it to even out a grudge against Wei." And he winked at them.

"How did you know all those things about Soul Edge?" Xianghua asked.

"In time I will tell you but now is the time for lunch. I can hear your stomachs growling already and mine's complaining, too. See? I'll go cook some lunch for us all but before that, let's treat those injuries that you have." By that, he was referring to Xianghua who hasn't cleaned herself yet. Kilik was able to rinse himself and take a bath the moment he woke up but Xianghua's state looked awful. She still has that dried cut on her forehead, cheek and lips, her arms were all bruises and her left foot was swollen.

Zhi went to and fro from them, gathering and setting his herbal medicines in front of them. Taking a pail of water, he started to clean off the dried blood off her face. He got a jar of ointment and rubbed it on the cleaned wounds. He took a poultice and wrapped it on Xianghua's swollen foot, wrapping a piece of cloth over them.

"There. Both of you take a rest here while I'll work on the lunch that I know we are all wanting for. You, young man, take care of your companion while I start on it outside."

Kilik agreed and Zhi went outside and the two were left at the table. Xianghua sighed and looked absent mindedly at the distant wooden wall in front of her, resting her head on her palm and her elbow on the hard surface of the dining table. Kilik looked at her silently, guessing what she was thinking.

"What were you thinking back in the village? I was hoping you would talk it with me and not take it into your hands alone."

She shifted her look onto Kilik, giving him a frown which Kilik could not understand whether it was apologetic or offended in its nature.

"I wish you would be more cooperative and not play this game alone," Kilik continued. "I feel like an outsider from the moment I met you in the arena. What's worse is that you took into your hands _my _fate as well as yours _while I was with you._ That was very selfish; you were only thinking of yourself…"

What was she thinking? Xianghua pondered about it. What was she afraid of if she discussed it with Kilik at that moment? Why did she take it all in her hands when it also concerned Kilik's life? Why did she do a reckless thing, endangering the lives of her family? It was because she knew Wei and Kilik didn't. They had no chance of escape when they are within Wei's grasp; both would die enslaved and would relinquish their quest and their destiny of destroying Soul Edge. She knew Kilik wouldn't understand her. She knew that Kilik would argue relentlessly if she gave her a moment.

There was no time and she had to choose immediately between those she cherished alone and those valued by many: Kilik's personal goals and drives in taking their quest, the lives of those that would be destroyed by Soul Edge if they do not destroy it soon and the widespread destruction the cursed sword would bring. It wasn't easy for her; the sacrifice took its heavy toll on her and now she was strained in thinking over and over the welfare of her family that was sentenced to destruction because of her choice.

"…Your family wouldn't be in this state had you thought it carefully and planned it with me."

She knew and didn't want to be reminded of it. She was torn already with all her thoughts and his lecturing only made her feel worse.

"This would have been avoided if your decisions weren't made too rashly. You—"

"Enough!" Xianghua said exasperatedly. "Don't you think that I know all that? Every breath that I took while I was quiet back then was heavy on my chest. I know the implications of every option that was placed before me. I didn't seek your consent because you wouldn't understand at all everything that I weighed into consideration."

"I wouldn't understand? Xianghua, how long have I been with you? Am I that a fool to you that you would exclude me from every important decision you are faced with?"

"Kilik, what I think about you has nothing to do with this." Xianghua's voice began to break. "Would you please, if you couldn't stop but spite me with your criticisms, just leave me alone?"

"There you go again. You're pushing me out again. You take it into your hands alone. Can't you see other people other than yourself? Hadn't it occurred to you that not only had you put your family in danger but you also put mine?"

That struck her and silenced her for a moment. But wait? She thought. Every option she faced that time would put both their lives in danger; she only chose what's best for them. Nevertheless, her tongue locked onto her jaw, inhibiting her from speaking.

"It didn't…" Kilik shook his head and coughed out a sigh. "I guess I'm of little value to you; it doesn't matter whether I live or die to you. Well, it seemed that way to me. And I guess it would have been better if both of us would part our ways since even if we're together, it's as if we're separated. There doesn't seem to be any team play among us."

"No! No! Stop!" she sobbed. "It's not what you think… It's not what you think…"

The front door creaked open and Zhi's head popped out.

"Hey, young man, I need some help. Could you fetch the wood axe at the back shed and cut some fire wood for me? My lower back seems to pain me now, maybe because of the cold weather but I really need someone to cut it for me."

Kilik immediately got up and went outside with Zhi leaving Xianghua wiping her tears with the back side of her hands. The door stood narrowly open with Zhi eyeing her for some time before shutting the door and leaving her completely.

Lunch came and the three ate wordlessly. Xianghua seemed to be glummer and the atmosphere at the dining table seemed to be heavier than a millstone. Kilik, after helping with the dishes, excused himself and went outside. Zhi laid a mat by the fire and put a blanket over it for Xianghua to sit on while she rested. After checking the cloth wrapped on her swollen foot, he sat beside her.

"Grandpa Zhi…"

"What is it child?"

"I need to go back to the village. I just need to go— and I won't be coming back."

"Why, that would be impossible! Look at your state. You're in no shape to travel and certainly even worse to battle. Wei would not even need his army to capture you if he happened to spot you. And by the way he is scattering rumors in the village, you would find most of the villagers against you. Not only is Wei your enemy now, but the villagers as well; they would not hesitate to deliver you to him."

"Well then, I'll head towards the next village. Maybe it's safer there."

"Look, I don't want to discourage you but that is also impossible at your state. They are still roaming the forest right now and you would be easily captured by them once they see you. And the next village is quite far from here. You would need three days by foot to get there. Let your emotions subside for a bit now and then consider it once again. You just had a fight with Kilik recently and you're not thinking very clearly now."

Xianghua watched the fire dancing a jig before her. She placed her chin on her bent knee, where she had wrapped her arms, and quietly drifted in her thoughts.

"You are deep in the sea of your thoughts," Zhi murmured. "Be careful that you don't drown on it but instead pour it out before it swallows you up. Old Zhi may be poor here but he is rich with wisdom that comes with old age. Go ahead, if you want someone to listen to you, I am here."

Xianghua looked hesitantly at him but slowly, she began to tell him her story about her worries about her family threatened by Wei; her recurrent nightmares about the incident where she blamed herself as the cause of Kilik's near death; how ever since that incident, she lost faith on herself and took it upon herself any injuries or danger inflicted on people due to events related to her; her fear that she won't be able to protect the people that she cherished; and how Kilik, unconscious to it he may be, frequently stresses on her the very things that vexed her. By the time she was able to finish, she could hardly speak with her emotions breaking loose like a dam of water rupturing in chaos. She broke down with an outpour of tears, burying her face onto her hands.

"Hush, my child. Don't let all your worries play on you. Everything will be alright. Everything will right itself in time." He bided his time, waiting for the young woman to calm her turmoil-filled emotions down.

"I'm really afraid— for my family," she spoke in between sobs. "I haven't seen them for _so long_ and then to think—"

And she broke down again into crying.

"My child," he said in a soothing voice. "Don't believe what that good-for-nothing Wei told you. You have said so yourself that he is your enemy ever since you started serving the emperor and enemies _never_ tell the truth. I'm sure he was using that to trick you into succumbing into his demands for he is no right hand of the emperor at all."

At that Xianghua froze in silence. "Is that… really true?" she asked softly.

"Indeed, I'm _thoroughly_ sure. If he had been one, why, he would be the number one topic of hearsays in this village. For staying here over ten years in this village, I have never encountered that story yet and I doubt it will happen in my lifetime. Wei may be strong in his political activities as well as with this army he is building but he will never gain the position as right hand of the emperor. He is the least favored among his own kind—being selfish and conspicuously treacherous and all."

"Oh, I'm so relieved!" she exhaled but she was overwhelmed with the new emotion that swept her; she buried her face once again on her hands and wept. "I'm so relieved...!"

"There, there, that's what I told you. Everything is alright. Your family is really safe. Everything was just a deception by him. You have nothing to fear."

Atlast, her crying subsided though her face still projected a profound weariness inside her. She was relieved of one burden but the others still remained.

"I had often wished that I could be like a pigeon that could easily fly from situations whenever they don't suit me." she sighed. "But the older I grew, the more that I find that reality really ensnares you and binds you to it like a wild bird trapped in a hunter's snare."

"Poor child," the old man thought. "She's still young and yet the troubles that she carries are greater than what her age normally bears."

He felt compassion upon her and yet he felt helpless beside her. He could do nothing to alleviate the suffering of this poor young girl. The pain that she felt was so great that he didn't know what he could do to help her ease herself.

"Tell me about your family. Where do they live? How far are they from here?"

"I don't live with my parents anymore. My mother passed away when I was eleven years old while my father died when in while serving the imperial army when I was very little. I live with my aunt, uncle and cousins in Nanking. They are now the ones I consider as my family," she said as she stared at the fire as if she saw the persons she spoke about.

"And what do they usually do at home?"

"My uncle is a retired soldier after serving the emperor for fifteen years and now works as a farmer with his own land, my aunt, likewise, served the imperial army but now helps my uncle manage their farm. My cousins, well… they play at home…" Upon mentioning the last, the corner of her lip twitched upwards as her face went into blissful expression. She recalled them fondly in an absentminded way.

"Ooohhh. How old are they?"

"The older one is now seven years old while the younger one was five. Both of them are boys."

Zhi smiled inwardly at seeing her lighten up and momentarily forgot her miseries. He had been trying to take her mind away from her troubling thoughts and he seemed to be succeeding in it.

"Do you play with them?"

"Oh yes! Even if they are both boys, we always have a grand time whenever I get home. We often tell stories and have play battles and frolic around the forest." She beamed with delight as she narrated about the home she had left behind.

-0-

The wind blew a piercing chill at his face making it numb causing him to tighten his grasp on his cloak, pulling it tighter on himself as it wrapped his body. He sat on a fallen tree trunk beside a peaceful, gurgling silvery brook, watching the sun descend the sky, with its glow of orange red and the fluffy light gray clouds that float around it. He sat in gloom, the majestic ambiance around him failing to change his dark mood.

He remembered vaguely a warrior he had fought some time before that had defeated him badly. The bitter taste of that defeat hadn't left him yet completely. It gave him anxiety and a sense of urgency as it brushed his recollection…

He shouldn't be staying here. But he was.

He should be someplace other than here where he should be building his strength. But he wasn't.

He couldn't bear the thought that a quest as important as finding Soul Edge could be hampered by that single person… or any person for that matter. For him to destroy the evil sword, he ought to be able to defeat anybody that stands on his way.

On the contrary, here he was, stuck on this house like a horse tied to its stall. Twice or more he was tempted to leave without saying a word. Anyway, no one would care if he did. The old man who had just acquainted him knew him little and would forget him soon. His companion who had journeyed with him twice would not mind either. He remembered bitterly how she wasn't able to reply to her when he asked her if she cared for his safety. Well, he couldn't blame her for that. After all, who was he that people should care about? He hasn't atoned for his past sins yet. How can he expect people to become attached with him with that scar in his past?

He just couldn't stay here because of the urgency that constantly pushed him, making him uneasy with inaction; it burns inside him with intensity like an anxiety that nips onto the soul. His reason for that was still clear on his mind. Or is it?

It had been so even if he had been trying to forget it because of the pain it inflicted on him whenever he remembered it—that searing pain that cut through his heart; the burning pain that leaves a scar on his memory. Suddenly, flashbacks that appeared like still images filled his thoughts. It was the event that gave him this sense of urgency and anxiety. That fateful summer day, the opponent standing arrogantly before him, his vision of that foe standing mockingly while he was there… on the ground, his eyesight failing him as he drifted into darkness, the feeling of impending doom that left emptiness upon him—

"Stop!" he ordered himself. "No more…"

He found himself breathing rapidly and shallowly. He brushed his fingers on his hair and gave a deep sigh. He looked at the immense sky above him and found that the sun he had been observing had finished its descent without his notice and on its place was the pearly moon and the radiant stars. He paused for a moment to decide what to do and then spited himself for being weak-hearted as he headed back towards the lone cottage where Xianghua and the old man were. His foot padded on the soft clay ground as he avoided stumbling on the protruding huge roots of the trees that silhouetted his sides.

-0-

"Bah! Where is that young man and companion of yours? He should know better than staying away so late in the night with enemies lurking and trying to search for both of you!"

"You don't have to wait for him. He must have left for good for he has nothing to come back for," Xianghua said lifelessly, her gaze never drifting from the fireplace.

"Don't worry my child, his belongings are still here. He won't just leave."

"He could leave them here as well if he wanted to," she replied too softly for the old man to hear.

Suddenly, the door opened and Kilik entered. He looked absently at the two beings inside with him.

"_Where_ have you been? Don't you sense danger when it's all around you? The enemy soldiers are still patrolling around in this forest and there you were, hiking it leisurely! What went inside your head to stay outside and come back when it's dark? And what's more, you left your injured companion alone here with her thinking that you've left for good and would never come back. How heartless of you!"

Kilik was about to speak his defense when the elderly turned his head abruptly towards the window and rushed to the door, opening it slightly and coming back.

"Quick! Here are your shoes. Head towards the back of the house where I store all my firewood and hide yourselves. You know what I'm talking about. The soldiers, they are coming to search this house for you… Quick, carry Xianghua with you."

Kilik hastily got up, took both his and Xianghua's knapsack and slung it onto his back. Meanwhile, Zhi busied himself tidying the house and erasing any traces of the two in his house. Footsteps coming from several people outside were audible from inside. Suddenly, a harsh knock came from outside.

"Quick, carry her through the backdoor." Kilik hastily picked her up and carried her into her arms, briskly walking towards the backdoor. Zhi hesitated for a moment and scanned the interior of the house to see if he had put away any traces of the two. He heard the pounding of Kilik's footsteps as the old man walked towards the front door. Slowly, carefully, Zhi opened the door.

-0-

"Captain, shouldn't we burn this house this instance since it has been a popular rumor that the old hermit has been housing escapees in the past? What's more, he doesn't have the slightest sentiment for the army. He seemed to be the perfect candidate for such thing."

"Nonsense. We only do as we're ordered," rebuked the captain, a tall lean man who emanated with authority even as he walked. "Soldier, take half of the men and search for them at the backside of the house as we make a search inside. Bring any suspicious object to me the instance you see anything. Now go!"

Five men marched towards the front door. The captain, among them, proceeded and knocked loudly. There was a short pause before the door opened and the old man showed himself up in front of them.

"Here we are again," said the captain. "So, as we always say, hand the fugitives right away because if we see them hiding in your house, we will burn this place into ashes and hand you over to the Grand Eunuch to be tortured."

"I tell you and will tell you again, I have nothing to hand over to you! No one is in my house but myself."

"Then stand aside and we will search by ourselves." The captain shoved him aside and quickly scanned the room and found… no one. He motioned at his men who marched inside without taking off their shoes as they entered. Mud and dirt from their boots stained the wooden floor making Zhi grimace in annoyance.

"How many times will you invade my home ever so rudely? If you have no other business other than turning this place upside down then leave me alone in peace."

"We will come persistently if you keep on hiding fugitives from us," the captain said as he roughly opened a wooden cabinet and dragged its content, throwing them to the floor. "If you would hand them to us, then we will make it easy for you."

"How many times do I have to tell you that I'm not keeping any fugitives here? Careful with those cups! Don't break them— What are you doing? Let go of me!"

-0-

Kilik had heard the opening of the front door as he shut the back door. He looked around and saw on his left side the shed where the old man stored his firewood. He walked quietly towards the place Zhi directed him, careful that the knapsacks on his back won't cause any noise as they thumped his back and also careful to not cause Xianghua to hit anything as he rushed towards the hiding place. As he neared the shed, he was surprised to find a silhouette of a man standing right at the middle of the opening of the shed. He paused momentarily to decide what to do. Suddenly, he heard some footsteps behind him. He spun around and saw another of Wei's soldier appear from the side of the cottage. Immediately, he leaned onto the wall nearest to him to hide himself into the darkness. He suppressed himself from breathing deeply lest the enemies would hear him and find them. He stole a quick glance on Xianghua who was on his arms whom he found was doing likewise. He was grateful that the men's eyes weren't accustomed yet to the darkness at the backside of the house.

Cautiously, his eyes flew left and right trying to see if both men on both sides had their line of sight diverted away from their direction. Finally, the man on his right, the man who appeared more recently turned his back to them. Kilik gave a quick look onto the man in front of the shed and finding him staring at the blackness of the forest behind the house, Kilik started to head towards the forest to hide behind the trees. As he made his first step towards it, the backdoor of the house opened with a loud noise.

-0-

"Bring him outside to be questioned!" the captain ordered harshly. One of the soldiers grabbed Zhi's arm and dragged him outside through the opened backdoor. The captain looked sharply on his sides and called to his men:

"Have you found them?"

"No sir," was the reply.

"Have you searched the shed thoroughly?"

"Yes sir. We've moved every bundle of firewood but they weren't there."

Turning to the old man whose head had been drooping, the captain pulled the hair at the back of his head to erect his head upright. Zhi's cheek bone area had a cut underneath his left eye.

"Tell me where they are! I know you've been hiding them. You would do well if you spill right now and tell me right away because I'm a hard man to deal with when my patience had waned. Where are they? What is the meaning of this jade comb that can only be a woman's possession?"

Zhi's shoulder rose and fell in successions as he heaved in weariness. He grimaced in pain before he replied:

"I've been speaking but my words were only received with deaf ears. I told you a couple of times and I will tell you again. I've been hiding no one! Now tell me if you don't understand that!"

He received a slap on the face causing his head to be thrown at the opposite direction of the slap. He licked his lip and tasted blood on it.

"Stop lying! You haven't answered my question yet. What is the meaning of this jade comb?"

The captain held tightly a comb made of a greenish stone with a soft hue and with a decorative white pearl flower attached to its side. Zhi looked at the item with mixed emotions, then, his eyes wearily shifted and met the captain's eyes. Licking his lips, the old man paused for a moment before he spoke.


	5. Chapter 5: Shulinzun

**Chapter 5: Shulinzun, the Former Merchant's Village**

_Disclaimer: I don't own... Well, you know the drill. This is a fanfiction._**  
**

**-0-  
**

Kilik crouched behind a lone stout cypress tree among the cone-shaped firs that surrounded it, hidden in the darkness but not far from the house, watching with tension as three of Wei's soldiers harassed Zhi. Xianghua stood leaning and half hidden by the same tree, eyes wide as she watched with Kilik, afraid for her new found friend. Her heart nagged her to quickly aid the old man. They were indebted to him for having him shelter them and give them food and a place to rest. She couldn't accept that a person—someone dear to her—would suffer and be in danger for them.

'_No!_ _No one should die for us like this… No one should be put to the sword because of me,' _she thought anxiously. '_He can't die… No. He can't die._'

As they watched the commotions, the seemingly leader of the soldiers raised a small green object with a white flower adorned to it as he pulled the old man by his back hair to lift the latter's head.

"What is the meaning of this jade comb? Tell me! This can only be a woman's possession. This must be from the woman fugitive that escaped last night. _Where is she_?"

Zhi, his head bobbing in exhaustion, looked at it. Xianghua stared at it, too, from her hiding place, eyes narrowing at first but soon widening as she gasped. Kilik looked up to her from his crouching position.

"The comb… He found it…" she murmured with a tone indicating her anxiety. How he found it, she had no idea; however, she trembled inside as the very thing she dreaded seemed to begin to unfold before her eyes.

'_No… Please, no… Please. It can't be mine. It musn't be… It musn't be…_'

-0-

"_Answer me_! My patience is growing thin this very moment. I'll have you strangled back to the village and this house burnt if you don't speak immediately. _What is the meaning of this comb_?" The captain shook Zhi's head with his tight grip on the old man's hair. The old man's shoulders rose and fell in successions as he gathered up his strength to speak.

"I've been speaking but my words were only received with deaf ears. I told you a couple of times and I will tell you again: I've been hiding no one! Now tell me if you don't understand that!"

Whack! Zhi's head swung sideways as a massive slap hit him at the face creating a cut on his lips. He reeled sideways and almost collapsed to the ground if not for the two soldiers holding him by his arms. Zhi licked the oozing blood off.

-0-

Xianghua visibly tensed as she saw her old friend got smacked in the face. Kilik rose up quietly ready to hold her back her in case she made a run towards them in her desire to save him. It was unnecessary, though, for she maintained her posture and didn't make a move. Kilik could see the amount of restraint she placed on herself to prevent herself from bolting from their position but he knew that she was aware of the dangers for them and the peril it would place on Zhi if they were seen.

"Stop lying!" the two heard the leader of the group yell at Zhi's face. "And you haven't answered my question yet. What is the meaning of this jade comb?"

Zhi hesitated which enraged the military leader even more. Impatient, he drew his sword and pressed the sharp blade onto the elderly man's neck. He drew his face in front of the old man's and breathed his threat.

"See here. I'm not only a man of words but of actions. I could kill you at this moment but not in one swift motion; I'll make certain that you scream yourself hoarse as I slowly tear your life away in pain."

Zhi looked at the jade comb in a reminiscent reverie, his face a mix of various emotions. He slowly fixed his eyes at the captain's hard gaze.

"Fool," he whispered. "It can't be from the woman fugitive. It is the property of my daughter who had died long ago."

"Daughter, you say? I don't remember you having a daughter. If you're trying to lure me to believing this lie, you have to do better than that—"

"Look at the comb! See for yourself if I'm telling a lie or the truth. Her name is engraved in it along with our family name."

"Fancy excuse. I've known you for quite a while and I've never seen a girl in your house all these while."

The old man answered impatiently. "She died shortly before your master started to reign in this village! How would you even know when you don't care about the people except for their possessions which your rotten band covets and steals?"

"Yes, we certainly care because that is our job: to protect the villagers from harm," the captain casually said as he toyed the comb with a sneer on his face.

"What do you know about it? The only thing you've succeeded in doing is to put a terrible burden on the people's back. You never protected them from harm because _you_ are the harm."

The military dignitary's face twisted in annoyance. "Keep your comments to yourself! There would be sacrifices in order to maintain peace and protection including the pressing and interrogation of those _enemies of the Great Eunuch_ who hide enemy fugitives. I know you and I know for sure that somewhere in this place, you're _hiding_ them. It won't be long before we find enough proof and we drag you before the Great Eunuch and his wrath."

He turned the comb about and searched for the name the old man claimed and snorted. A look as that of a man cheated of his treasures crept up into his face because behind the pearl flower, at the smooth surface of the back of the comb, was embedded the name Bi Huaning.

Suddenly, one of his soldiers opened the back door and came out bringing some reports of their search inside.

"Captain."

"What have you found?"

"We've searched thoroughly the insides of his house and found nothing else suspicious besides that comb."

"Is that what I want to hear?"

"I beg your pardon, sir?"

"I said: _Is that what I want to hear_?" the captain shouted.

"N-no sir. But that's the only—"

"Never mind. Carry on," he exhaled as he suppressed the anger rising up inside him. _Again, their search resulted to nothing_. This would mean disappointment and disapproval from their master—something he dreaded more than death. He muttered a curse and turned towards the soldiers at the back side of the house to check their progress.

-0-

One of the soldiers strolled further away from his company, searching around for the fugitives and reaching the end of the clearing. The stumps of trees and blades of grasses were behind him as he neared a stout cypress tree with a trunk as if weaved by several smaller trunks to form this one broad body. His eyes scanned the silhouettes of the trees and the shadows they cast upon the ground. He appeared to be casually walking and exploring the place, however, his body, as trained, was ready for battle and surprise attacks.

Like his superior, he had the same suspicion that the enemy escapees were in the place, hiding somewhere.

Unknown to him were the two people they were hunting for leaning behind the cypress tree in front of him. When he was about ten steps away from it, the two had hurriedly hid behind it with their bodies low to the ground. Breathes were held and muscles were stiffened so as to avoid catching the attention of this lone soldier. They knew they couldn't kill the man because he would be missed when they were called to assemble prompting suspicion within the search party and causing more trouble for Zhi. They abandoned watching over the old man and the soldiers as they hurriedly but quietly crept to their hiding place. They couldn't see their enemy approaching their direction; all they could hear were the crunching sounds of his footsteps gaining in volume as he neared them.

_Crunch… Crunch… _The sound of the footsteps trampling over the twigs and small fallen branches that lay on the dry autumn ground…

Xianghua looked at Kilik with alarm. Kilik put his finger on his lips motioning her to keep silent. Her face showed her anxiety. Her fear was branching and expanding from the many things that she dreaded, her current disability adding to that greatly. She couldn't run as Kilik could in case they needed to relocate themselves from their current hiding place when the situation became worse. She feared that she would cause the discovery of the two and the further danger of Zhi.

_Crunch… Crunch… Crunch…_

Kilik readied himself to run or fight. He grasped his staff and his knapsack with each hand. He thought of scurrying towards another tree with Xianghua but knew that the soldier was too near them and would notice his move prompting alarm. He considered striking the man with one precise blow, disabling him quietly. Atleast, from this point, he had the advantage of surprise with this enemy. Then, he would attack the rest of them while they were unaware of him. True, it might cause the death of the old man but he had no choice. He had to survive. _They_ _had to survive_.

_Crunch… Crunch…_

Xianghua met the eyes of her male companion, figuring out his motives and upon learning them, mouthing a soundless 'no' accompanied by the shaking of her head. Kilik maintained his hard gaze, affirming his resolve. He didn't reply because he didn't need to.

_Crunch… Crunch… Crunch…_

Finally, the sounds of the footsteps stopped.

However, Kilik's body remained tensed as his face turned upwards. Xianghua slowly followed his gaze and there behind her, with one hand extended onto the tree, leaning onto it was the man, the soldier. She swallowed and quickly turned towards her companion.

This was it. The man hasn't seen them yet and he would never have to. Kilik poised himself for his strike—

"Have you found anything suspicious?" the captain called from his place.

The soldier turned and faced his superior. "No sir. Everything's quiet even here."

The other soldiers from the shed and those guarding the both sides of the house echoed their findings as well.

"Come, we've wasted enough time in this pile of sticks he calls his home. Call the men so that we could return and report what we've found," the captain ordered them. "You there! Come here, you're wandering away too far. We're going back now."

"Yes sir!" the soldier beside the tree replied and marched back. Kilik and Xianghua quietly sighed in relief as they remained in their position. They were safe now… atleast temporarily.

-0-

Zhi was thrown into the ground as the men turned about face and started to walk away.

"Serves you right!" one of the soldiers jeered. The captain tossed and caught the comb playfully as he turned to Zhi once again.

"I forgot. This isn't mine. It would surely grieve you if you lose this—"

The captain then tossed the jade comb into the air, slid his blade off from its scabbard and hacked the object in half as it fell down. The comb landed on the ground in pieces with a clatter.

He started to walk away but turned once more to Zhi, adding:

"This won't be the last time we're going to see you, Bi Zhihao. Hopefully, the next time would be your death. I know you and I know what you've been doing in the past; I know you're hiding them and I won't stop until I see your lifeless face on the ground. Hmph." He continued his walk as he raised his forearm in a wave gesture without turning around.

Zhi curled his upper lip in a snarl as he lay on his side, face purple with bruises and running with blood.

"You fox!" he muttered. "How dare you intrude my house! Hmph… But he won't be pleased with what you've found." And he grimaced once again in pain as his gray eyes slowly descended to the broken treasure lying in front of him.

-0-

Zhi grunted in pain as Kilik assisted him towards the linen sheet Xianghua had spread on the wooden floor beside the fire. As the old man pressed the weight of his back on the sheet, she carefully placed a pillow beneath his head. She sat in front of him and watched him stretch his aching body stiffly.

"Ahhh," he sighed as his back made contact on his makeshift bed. His eyebrows lifted and his forehead creased as he let out an expression of contentment. Xianghua scanned him carefully, face filled with anxiety.

"How are you feeling?" the girl asked, voice trembling in concern.

"Ah, never felt better."

She winced. "Please don't say that…" she said quietly, almost in a whisper.

Zhi's eyes flickered towards her as he continued on.

"I could have beaten that man, Nubao, into a pulp had I not been restrained," he said confidently, afterwards, giving a sigh of resignation. "Oh, well. Anyway, my skin is as tough as a crocodile's hide. It won't crack with mere punches and fist strikes. They have to saw my skin apart to make it bleed. Hehe."

He gave her a toothy grin, teeth all stained red with blood, making him appear both silly and pitiful. Xianghua's head hung low as her eyes shifted shakily.

"Please stop," she said, her voice sharp and at the brink of breaking. "I know you're putting this up to cheer me but it's just doing the opposite."

She paused before pouring out the contents of her emotions.

"It doesn't change the fact that we've brought you all these trouble. It doesn't change the fact that you were almost killed because of us. It doesn't change the fact that… that… I'm bringing you all these troubles…"

"No, Xianghua, no… no, no," Zhi replied in his most soothing voice as he rose up to sit. "None of you brought me this trouble. It is not even you that insisted on staying here—it is me. And if I had not wanted your presence, I would have sent you away immediately. Don't ever blame yourself for this."

"If we had not come here— If we had not asked for a place to stay… Had I not been an invalid none of this would have happened. Your life would not have been in danger. You were almost killed because of us… because of me," her last statement came out as a whisper.

"Xianghua, my child, listen to me. I'm not blaming you for anything that happened to me. It's only you that condemns yourself. Free yourself from it. Your past had planted fear in your heart, that's why you're reacting like this. Look at these wounds; they are mere break in the skin. They do not penetrate my heart for I do not allow them. Same with you. You cannot allow them to affect your heart. That is why the heart and the skin are located differently."

Beads of tears continued to form at the side of her eyes, crawling down her cheeks and reaching her chin before finally dropping down her trousers. She wiped the tears on her face with the back of her hand.

"That man, Captain Tang Nubao, has his grudges against me and regardless if I'm hiding anybody in my house or not, he would still blame me. We go a long ways. I also have my personal grudge against him. Each time he comes here he turns my house upside down and each time he does so, I resist him and act as hard as a rock. So even if you're here or not, nothing much would change. Don't be so hard on yourself because it just happened that you're here when they put on a show like that… So, hush now and cease crying."

"…It's difficult to let go. I can't put away the fear that I had back then…"

"You have to decide to let it go… Come on, now. Hush… Calm down… Brush every thought of it aside and bring in your peace… There, there, now…"

Xianghua sniffed and used her fingers to dry her wet, teary face. Zhi grinned as he changed his tone to lighten the mood.

"Look, these wounds—they're nothing at all. You could say that I'm used to being beaten like this. My body is old but not fragile. It can still withstand being thrown around by them by and by. You really have nothing to be anxious about…"

The girl frowned at him and pouted before curving her lips upward, although her eyebrows remained knotted.

"There, there, that's what I've been looking for. You look better when you're smiling. See, you've got such a pretty, young face which even more beautifies with that smile adorning it. Go on and unloosen that smile."

"You have to stop now, Grandpa Zhi. I'll look silly laughing with my eyes swollen like this," she replied with a slight frown.

"Hehe! Well, atleast now you're not sad-looking anymore."

Xianghua grunted in agreement as she smiled and swept away the last of her tears with her hand. "Is Kilik not back yet? We got to clean those wounds or else it will worsen and swell. Do you have some clean rags that I can use?"

"There are some in that cupboard."

Xianghua went and found the item. As she headed back to Zhi, Kilik came in with a bucket of water. He brought it to the old man's side so that Xianghua could dip the cloth in it and clean the elderly man's wounds. She assisted Zhi gently as the old man laid on his back once more. Kilik stood up and went about the house, righting every furniture that lay sprawled and picking up objects that lay on the floor all the while being attentive for anything that the two might need.

"That man who looked like their leader seemed to have a personal grudge against you, elder; he seemed to relish the way he beat you," he inserted as he continued in his tasks.

She agreed. "Tell us how you met him. You said you and him had quite a history—um, to put it."

The old man chuckled dreamily and replied quietly. "Yes, quite an amusing history. Well, I shall tell if both of you are prepared for one long story."

The two youths looked at each other before shrugging and giving a nod of approval.

"Then let me start eight years ago when I was an old man, aged more than my years and Nubao, a young fellow who took his path hastily as a youth. Both of us were yet to age even more and the years that would follow would work its way twice into our souls. That day was blazing hot and would become the fieriest of day when our good chief of Shulinzun, our village, was publicly humiliated before us villagers for a crime he didn't do and would never, ever do. He was placed into a trial and hastily sentenced into exile towards a place not one of us had ever heard of. Later, we learned that the event was orchestrated by a man named, Wei Zhongxiang, an aspiring eunuch who lusted for power. At first, we didn't know his objectives for acquiring the village but he quickly transformed it from a trading village into a military prison.

"Weeks after he was declared chief, he issued a draft for all young males from sixteen to thirty years to enlist as members of his militia; everyone who refused would be punished severely. The most daring and adventurous youths immediately jumped into it, excited for the promise of adventure and battle; they must have been tired of the village's serene and peaceful nature. However, they were a small fraction of the number Wei Zhongxiang had intended. Because of this, he quickly acted to harvest more men into his envisioned army. But with so many people refusing, the scene became a turmoil. His men who were with him from where he came from, along with the adventurous boys he drafted, went from houses to houses, dragging out and beating those who dared to disobey his commands and those who stood on his way. There was much weeping and violence and murder as those young men were snatched from the bosoms of their loved ones into the place where no one could follow. Many houses were ransacked that day. The wounds and the scars that were left them were deep and though their skins healed, the wounds that were inside them remained.

"Those who were left behind strained their eyes, looking daily in the horizon, for them who were snatched to return and, in vain, yearned for their voices. They didn't return until years later and them that returned were completely different people with faces that resembled who they used to be. As for them that their families yearned for, they were lost completely. I was spared from their sorrow because my only son was out in the world searching for something I forbade him. True, I was spared from this wound but I was already bleeding from within for my son.

"Atlast, the unrest of the masses were uncontained and a massive revolt took place one night. The people, armed with hoes and household tools, amassed together against the newly built citadel that the preposterous Wei had built. Only a few had swords but far fewer among them knew how to use them. Most of the men trained for battle had already been at Wei's side, brainwashed to do his bidding no matter what. The villagers, however, outnumbered the militia fifty to one and had their confidence in their numbers. However, they had been expected and were met with prepared soldiers. To say that the night ended in a massacre is to say it mildly but the impact of the loss of so much men were felt long after. Shulinzun drastically slipped from a trading village into a military outpost as the traders died in one night and the younger militia flourished through many years.

"And as Wei Zhongxiang grew in power, he strengthened his army by building the arena. Outwardly, it was as a form of entertainment for the people, challenge for warriors and a form of money-making for the champions but secretly, it was Wei's net to catch strong, lone warriors. Once he sifted the strongest, he forced them to join his army by lavishing them with promises or threats of death. Although the arena's secrets had leaked out to other villages, still, the arena continued to attract the strongest of warriors around Shulinzun and far away. In this way, the army grew and the more the village sunk lower.

"The people grew impoverished because much of the village's resources were used to supply the rapidly growing army; large amounts of taxes were levied upon the burdened villagers. As the trading livelihood of the village slumped and traders from other places shied away, the people were forced to clear large areas around it and farm. The drastic changes in lifestyle added to the sorrow brought to them were too much for everyone. Nevertheless, no one left because of the hope for their sons and husbands and fathers whom they hoped would return. Not one left except I. But even as I left, I felt my feet still planted in this village. It is where I grew up; it is where I buried my wife, my daughter and my son. That's why I live some distances from the village, yet still near it. I abandoned my trade to collect firewood to sell it to the village. Don't you find it funny for me to abandon my roots yet plant myself next to it?"

"No, no-no. But please continue on. How did you meet Tang Nubao?" Xianghua sat next to him, treating his wounds and attentively listening, completely enthralled with his story.

"Ah, I was about to go there. Around this time, the man Nubao was still a young runt, eager, enthusiastic and… deceived. He was one of those young men who jumped into the draft early on. He was definitely small when the militia started but eventually rose to his rank of captain. He was fierce and zealous as a grunt and even more when he elevated in rank. It was when he was captain that we met again and we started to loath each other. In my rage against what they did to our village, I secretly helped warriors from the arena who wanted to escape. I made my home a hiding place and a place to rest for them. I had contacts that helped them and arranged their escape. There were times when I successfully smuggled them out of the village and there were times when they didn't appear during the time of escape and probably got caught.

"During these events, Nubao led searches for the fugitives. Now, with my house being near the village and the rising numbers of fugitives escaping successfully, they immediately suspected me of housing and concealing everyone that escaped. With that, Nubao or anyone that led the searched frequented their visits at my house and rummages through my belongings. As much as I hated Nubao before, it grew even more with every visit he conducted. I hated the way they treat my house like a manure pit and let his men thrash it in their whims. At first, I also hated how they thrash me each time they come to my house, however, later on, I used it against them. He knew that I was involved but he could never arrest me. He says that he is searching for proofs of my deeds. He seems so consumed with exposing me of my deeds and finding none heats him up even more. So I gloated at him as they beat me. I know it gives them more reason to beat me but it satisfied me to see that unquenchable anger in him rise even more with every composed expression I give them."

"Grandpa Zhi, that is just very cruel. They can't thrash you just because they could do it. How could you continue to help fugitives knowing that they would kill you the moment they found proof of it?" Xianghua interjected sympathetically.

"Hmph," the old man smiled. "It's the only thing that I could do to hurt Wei Zhongxiang. He's untouchable with all his skillful warriors around him. The village is just not strong enough to fight them anymore. They had done it once and were burnt to the stump. There was so much sacrifice involved then when the resistance took place and I just don't want it to happen again. We've been decimated beyond recovery because of it. And the warriors—it's the only thing I could do to help them avoid the same fate as that of the men of Shulinzun."

"But I thought you said no one inside the village could escape when Zhongxiang wanted them in his militia," she said.

"It wasn't so until five months ago, when they mysteriously got efficient and completely broke through our plans and arrangements making escape impossible for the fugitives. Although we completely shuffled how we do everything, they managed to interfere and ruin our plans. My contacts inside the village disappeared one by one. Everywhere we hid the men, they discovered. It was as if they knew as we knew and they saw as we saw. We eliminated any possible sources of information leak but everything was futile. For a time, we got quiet because of it, nevertheless, my contacts continued to disappear until everyone was gone. I also finally stopped and for the first time in a long while had peace in my house. However, inwardly, I felt more in turmoil. I sought for a chance to resume what I had been doing but apparently, Wei Zhongxiang has silenced me for good. Since then, there were none that was able to escape. As for me, the people on Wei's side had strong suspicion of my involvement but never seemed to act to arrest me. It still puzzles me so, although, I'm not complaining about it."

"I'd like apologize but I still don't get how you met Nubao." Kilik interjected. He had just finished putting the house in order and was now sitting beside the two.

"Ah—" the old man choked. "Hmph. Your sharp, boy. I didn't figure you'd catch me trying to get both of you lost in the conversation and forgetting about the topic. But since you caught me, I'll tell."

Old Zhi slowly turned his gaze on one of his windows as he entered a trance that took him out of his house and out of the forest and back to the village where he used to live. His eyes shone like colored beads, polished into their perfect hue. His mouth closed tightly as he took his time traveling towards the past that were so mysterious for the pair of youths gazing at him with curiosity as intense as the spell that has befallen him. Finally, slowly, his lips opened and though his voice sounded dry at first, it flowed slowly and smoothly, and then roughly and increasing in turbulence.

"The loathing I felt for that man is as deep as the roots of an ancient tree. Aside from partaking in the tragedy of Shulinzun, he snuffed out my last remaining light. I could never forgive him for he took away my last remaining joy…"

Silence reigned for a while as Zhi's mouth moved silently, struggled to form the words in his mouth.

"He... took away… Longyi. He killed my ssson."

Xianghua's eyes widened as she whispered, "I'm sorry, Grandpa Zhi. I'm sorry…"

"He had just gone home… He was sick and devastated… The metal shard… They took him away and thrashed him until there was so little life left in him. I saw him, Nubao, beating him unendlessly until he lost consciousness. I couldn't help my son because they held me back… Those eyes that stared into mine, they were the last flicker in him saying to me that he had returned atlast as he closed his eyes to rest forever. He was the last of my family— They took away my last kin. I had none else beside him and they took him away."

Xianghua lightly placed her hand on Zhi's hand causing him to shoot her a fiery glance as he snapped back in reality.

"I won't weep, as you think, just like that. My eyes had long dried up from the long, endless sorrow I had in my life. I hope, in my next life, I would live with my family where those people who I hate would not be able to follow. As for now, I will take my pleasure in seeing that angry look in Nubao's face everytime I frustrate him whenever he comes into my house."

She shook her head in solemn pity for her friend as she stroke his hand on hers. The old man hesitantly attempted to withdraw his wrinkled hand but failed. It merely flinched in its place, remaining where it was, between a pair of soft, female hands that reminded him of the pillow lying beneath his head.

Kilik, without showing it in his face, felt some regret welt up in him as he remembered that he was the one that raised the topic and pushed the man into telling his story. He readjusted his seat and felt the bulge of his pouch tied on his belt pressing on his waist. As he untied the string that held it on his belt to fix it, he remembered what it held and emptied it onto his palm. It caught the old man's eyes.

"Uh, I'm sorry," Kilik said. "About this…"

"Lin Huaning."

"What?"

"It's her comb."

"Your daughter's?"

"No, I don't have a daughter. I have only a son, my only son. She is Longyi's wife; my daughter-in-law."

Xianghua furrowed her eyebrows in puzzlement. "But I thought you told Nubao you—"

"It's much easier to say it this way. By saying that, I don't have to explain much and in that way it won't remind me of what happened to both of them. Besides, I've treated her as my own because she had no parents."

"What happened to her? Is she still here?" Xianghua asked curiously. In reply, Zhi only gave her a sad look.

"I'm sorry… I didn't mean to ask that question."

"No… That's alright," he sighed. "I've never spoken of it to anybody but I feel lightened when I speak of it as I had done earlier. My child, please assist me. I'm tired of lying down; I want to sit now."

Kilik and Xianghua obeyed his request. Thanking them and waving away more attempts to support him, he began:

"Well, first, let me describe her to you: she was a bright, young, beautiful girl, the only one her father had. Although she lost her mother at an early age, she was raised as a sweet, kind girl. When my son first brought her home at age fifteen to introduce her to me, I immediately liked her. Although he had a very strong personality, they fitted each other perfectly and settled their differences well. She waited for him like a good wife and he responded to her affections accordingly. However, one day, when Longyi returned from his trading job, out of nowhere, he told us that he wanted to go see the world on a journey. Huaning and I were shocked but were unable to dissuade him from it. Moreover, he wouldn't take her with him, breaking her heart. It was the first time I saw him like this and couldn't understand him. We talked, I argued, we fought, but he was firm on his decision. Eventually, he left and we hadn't heard of him of him for two years.

"Those two years that Huaning and I were left together strengthened our bond. No longer did I call her my daughter-in-law, instead, I started calling her my daughter and treated her as my own. She stayed by me and would not return to her father, knowing that I would be alone. She was as faithful as a good real daughter could be. We cheered each other up and consoled each other, awaiting the return of Longyi.

"However, when he did return, he was even more a different man. He wasn't my son anymore nor Huaning's husband. It was as if a stranger entered our house one day and displaced us. When his wife greeted him when he first stepped at our doorstep, he just looked at her coldly and went to his room. Later, he started to ill-treat his wife and speak harshly to her. No longer was he the ideal husband he was before he left. His wife persistently loved him though and patiently bore his mistreatment.

"I pitied her. Although she silently took his ill-behavior while with him, she cried when she was alone. I spoke with Longyi but he was hard as steel. He received everything I spoke to him violently. Later, all I could do was to give up. It continued for days and weeks and months until, when we thought it would not end, he suddenly disappeared again. It was not the end that we were hoping for, though.

"Huaning wept for days and could not be consoled. Her loneliness for him was very great that it even affected her health. Much as I loved her, I couldn't do anything to cheer her up and save her from deteriorating completely. Soon, she was like a withered flower, very weak and barely living. Even the needle she used for darning clothes became too heavy for her. Then, I realized that death would be by her doorsteps any day and I would lose her soon."

Xianghua and Kilik waited for him to continue, staring at him intently in full attention. Zhi's eyes were focused on the wall. Silence reigned for what seemed eternity. When it was almost evident that he would not continue and the shuffling of clothes became the loudest sound inside the room, he broke the silence.

"Eight years after her death, Longyi finally returned. This time he was different from his first return. He was not agitated nor angry nor sullen anymore. He was… just quiet and glum. I asked him then what had happened to him but a shake in the head and a sad look was all that I got as a reply. Then, he asked me about Huaning. At first, I was afraid to tell him what actually happened for fear that he would kill himself should he learn that he was the cause of his wife's death but seeing through the lie that I composed and through his persistence, I finally told him…

"After that, he rarely spoke. I saw him grieve only once but I knew that he never stopped regretting and weeping for his wife. I kept a close watch on him to prevent him from attempting to kill himself but he never did it. I also feared that he would also deteriorate like his wife but he walked along his life, sad but never sickly. He even returned to his former work but the vigorous, strong-willed personality of his never returned.

"I should also mention that the fourth-yearly draft for Wei's militia had happened a couple of months after his return and so he was spared of that annual tragedy. But week's after he returned, a company of soldier's suddenly entered my home and took him by force. I tried to stop them but they turned to me and started beating me as well. In front of my doorsteps, they also thrashed him. I cried for help but no one came to offer any. They interrogated him brusquely and wounded him and tortured him. They ignored all my pleas and cries. Nobody even took notice of me but one man whose face I couldn't forget, the instigator of all these. He looked at me in the eye and gave me a ridiculing smirk. That man even introduced himself and told me to never forget his name: Tang Nubao.

"Atlast, when they were done with Longyi, they shoved him into my arms, bleeding as he was. His injuries were grave and… I couldn't stop him from slipping into death."

Zhi chuckled. "Well, that's life. I learned that in this world, there is nothing that you can hold onto tightly because anything can be taken away. I left Shulinzun because as much as I loved it, I can't hold onto it anymore because they had taken it away from me. Being from that position, I just want to steer away those that unknowingly or through sheer stupidity walk towards this misfortune and then help those who want to escape it once they're already ensnared.

"Well, you now know my history. So that's it… Ugh! Now I admit, these wounds are now killing me. Bedtime stories are over, young ones. Let us all go to sleep," said Zhi. Turning away his head he muttered under his breath, "My! Do these eyes sting."

He waved them away, never facing them. "There's some cot over there for both of you to sleep in. I'm fine here so you can leave me now."

Xianghua looked at Kilik with concern in her face. Kilik, in turn, motioned her to do as they were told to.

-0-

_Knock! Knock! Knock! _

Xianghua's eyes popped open with the boisterous sound of persistent pounding from outside the door.

_Knock! Knock! Knock! Knock!_

She got up and looked about her. The room was very dim, save for the strands of light shooting through small crevices along windows. But even those were faint as they were from the shimmer of the moon, which probably boasted its full round face that night. She could see the silhouettes of her companions sitting up and looking around apprehensively.

Suddenly, a loud slam was heard on the door as the consistent knocks momentarily ceased.

_Slam! _And again! With it, thick light spilled inside the room in irregular shapes. Xianghua realized what the men outside were trying to do—

"They're breaking the door!" Kilik exclaimed.

_Slam! _Another thunderous noise resounded causing Xianghua to jump. This time it did not come from the front door but from the back. She stood up in confusion, heart pounding fast, as she felt the room whirling around her. Her head jerked violently, shifting from the back door and the front door as she stiffened in panic.

_Crash! _The backdoor fell down inwardly and with it, several men in maroon uniforms poured in by the dozen. Standing between them and her was Kilik, armed with his staff and holding it in his fighting stance. She crouched down and clumsily groped for her own weapon. Her hands felt stiff as her hands searched for her sword.

"Where is it? Where is it? I can't find it!" her mind screamed.

"Xianghua, quick! Let's get out of here!" she heard Kilik yell at her.

Her hands began to tremble as she frantically continued her search for her weapon. "Where is it?—"

"Xianghua!"

The front door finally gave way to the continuous pounding of a steel weapon against it. Splinters of wood fell down as a large axehead finally finished its job on the door, clearing the sides and the mid-low section of it, sweeping rough and sharp edges off of it.

"Xianghua!"

She gaped at the newcomers rushing through the front door. They carried with them long, slender, cone-shaped torches in their hands. A man she recognized as the big man whom Kilik had fought in the arena stood imposingly by the entrance raising his axe, preparing to slam it down on her. She held her breath as she saw the slow, downward traverse of the giant battle axe come upon her. Clumsily, she jumped sidewards as the axe missed her and crashed on the floor. She landed on her chest, her hands sprawled on her sides. Pieces of debris and wood flew past her. As she leaned on her hands, she looked over to her companion and saw him parrying one attacker aside and punishing him with an upward blow on the chin with his staff. Turning his head towards her, he yelled with imperative urgency. "Xianghua, let's get out!"

He spun his weapon, shifting it from hand to hand as he charged towards the exit while the enemy men cleared a path for him. Xianghua hastily picked herself up and dashed behind him. As she neared the backdoor exit, several of the maroon uniformed men blocked her path, swords in front of them and pointed towards her.

She was trapped!

The men closed in on her as she backed onto the center of their circle. The room was well lit by the torches carried by several men. They also made the room feel very warm. She felt her chest being pounded at violently as she heard the sound of a heartbeat in her ears in synchrony with the pounding on her chest. Everywhere around her were men wearing the same outfit of the color she began to loath. They formed an imperfect circle of multiple layers surrounding her.

Suddenly, one of the men bearing the torches dropped his torch to the ground setting the dry wooden floor aflame. One by one, his fellow soldiers began to drop their torches on the ground. However, contrary to what she expected, no one left their places as the house began to burn and the flame began to spread.

"What are they doing? They're going to burn the house with them! No, _no_, NOOO!" she screamed.

She bolted towards the front door and tried to escape. She collided with the layers of men forming a barricade before the exit. They pushed her violently causing her to fall on the floor. She tried again, this time fighting her way out.

"Let me out! Let me out! Let me out!" she kept on yelling as she tried to force her way out.

Beads of sweat started to form all over her skin and trickling down as she felt the room go from warm to hot to searing.

"Let me out! Let me out!"

The mob of soldiers in front of her smiled at her maliciously as they forced her inside. Dozens of hands gripped at her arms and shoulders, pushing her as she fought on in a vicious struggle. She planted her feet and almost dug them on the floor, one step at a time, one after the other. She was at a disadvantage due to her small frame in a struggle with all those men.

The flames had licked the walls and the roof and even some of the men. Yet, they stood there, unaffected, smiling their ghostly smiles as their clothes and skin blazed with fire. A manic laughter started accompanied by more manic laughter as the dreadful sound echoed inside the room.

"Stop! Let me out! Stop! _No_, nooooo!" she screamed and suddenly she lay sprawled outside the front door with the burning house behind her.

"Cease her!" a commanding shout was heard from behind her. She looked at the direction where it came from and saw not men but… monsters. Several man-sized lizards standing on their rear legs—lizardmen, clothed in maroon battle uniform, holding jian swords starting to run after her. Among them were undead skeletons wearing the same outfit and holding the same weapon as the lizardmen. Their movement were accompanied with clattering sounds—the sounds of their bones colliding with their other bones. Altogether, they stampeded out of the room like an overflowing rapids.

Xianghua immediately picked herself up and began to sprint away. Just as she thought she was picking her pace and was getting away from them, she looked back and saw that they were catching up on her!

She increased her speed. However, she could not erase the feeling that she was scurrying at a very sluggish pace. Trees passed her at an incredibly slow rate. Behind her, seemingly a hundred was in hot pursuit after her and gaining on her slowly but steadily.

The sky was dark, devoid of the moon and stars. Even the clouds were not visible. As she took notice of it, she realized that not only was the darkness enveloping the sky but rather the whole place was black as burnt wood. She looked about as she ran and noticed that now, even the trees weren't visible. It seemed that she was running in a dark corridor. And indeed, for she heard the echoes of her footsteps sounding as if her feet were padding onto a stone floor. Up ahead, she saw a tiny rectangular light.

"There! The exit! …I must get there!" she thought and tired as she was, she resumed her speedy flight.

Atlast, the light was nearly as tall as her waist. "Few more steps to go…"

Her breath was the only sound that she could hear; all the others had faded into silence. Even the sound of the trampling footsteps of everyone behind her were subdued and swallowed up by its omnipresence. Her lungs worked in synchrony with her legs and were almost perfectly in rhythm with each step she took. The wind that was inside her blew at her ears like a gust of wind in a gale-filled autumn day. Each breath brought sting on her chest but every breath took her closer to her salvation. It powered her as it drained her.

"Ugh!" She fell down on her face with a loud thud. She pushed herself and tried to stand up but, alas, her feet were stiff and held behind her. Her eyes fell on her legs and to her dismay, several paws and skeletal hands firmly grasped them. They gave her a jerk and a tug backwards, away from the light that was her exit. Forcefully, she tried kicking them but to no avail. She repeated and was able to free herself from some of the hands and paws who regained their grip immediately. She looked at the faces of the lizardmen and skeletal soldiers and returned her gaze towards the light.

"No!" she exclaimed as she saw the light shrinking in size. She gave one kick and freed herself from a few pairs of hands and paws. Another and more of her foes lost their grasp on her leg. Heaving one huge breath, she poured her energies on her legs and gave one final kick landing on the face of one lizardman that tried to edge closer to her. The man-sized reptile was thrown backwards. Moreover—

Atlast! She was free! She pushed herself up immediately and ran another few steps towards the light. As it was about an arms length to her, she felt a violent impact on the back of her waist pushing her once again on the ground. She was pinned down by two of the man-reptile creatures. Her hands tried to push them away but her strength was almost gone. More of the hellish creatures surrounded her while others added to the weight of the two lizardmen already on her back.

She panted heavily in her violent struggle with them. She used her arms to pull herself towards the light, crawling slowly, inch by inch.

"Stop! Wait for me! Don't close! Don't close!" she begged as the light continued to diminish in size on its own. "Wait! Please! Help!"

"Xianghua, I will hold on the light to slow it's diminishing in size but you must hurry," a familiar male voice answered. "I won't be able to hold it for long."

"W-who are you? Grandpa Zhi? Please, I need your help," she strained. "They've caught me and I can't escape them—"

"Just one touch and you will be saved."

"Huh? What did you say? Wait! What should I do?"

"Quick!"

Once again, she felt herself tugged backwards losing some distance from the light. She renewed her struggle towards the light, straining herself, pouring her energy as she dragged her body as well as the weight of several hell spawns on her back. She reached her hand towards the light, slowly her index finger closed on it until finally, the two gained physical contact.

A bright, white light contesting the intensity of the sun blinded her eyes…

-0-

A sound of rustling grass was heard as a man in yellow traditional Chinese shirt that runs down to his thighs, blue pantaloons and pointed shoes approached. He bent down slightly towards a woman lying down among the short grasses, her whole body facing the sky, arms and legs stretched out. Finding her asleep, he straightened out, lifted a foot and toed her at her side, nudging her. Failing to arouse her from her slumber, he did it once more, this time, a little bit harder.

Atlast, she opened her eyes.

"Hey, Xianghua. Come on. We've got to go. We have to reach the next village before the sun sets."

"Hunh?" she said disorientedly as she rose to sit. "What?"

"You've been sleeping for hours. We've got to go now though. We don't want to spend the night in the forest. Let's try to reach the next village before the night falls."

"Aren't we going back first to the cottage?"

"Why? What cottage?"

"Kilik, what are you saying?" her eyebrows knotted in puzzlement. "Have you forgotten about Grandpa Zhi and all that he's done for us? We've been there ever since we escaped from Shulinzun last night."

Kilik crouched beside her and tapped her cheeks thrice with his index finger. "Hmm. Xianghua. You've been dreaming again. Remember that after you ran back to your house after getting harassed last night, we argued in the streets and you went back to your room in such a haste, steaming like a fresh, steamed _mantao_. Then, I had to coax you this morning so that we could travel again together. How can we land in a cottage when there are no cottages in the forest? And who would we need to escape from such a peaceful village, save for the arena?" (M_antao_:a white, round, Chinese steamed bun)

"No. I'm pretty sure—"

Kiliik exhaled impatiently. "Enough with dreams. We still have much traveling to do. We don't have any clues yet as to where we ought to search for Soul Edge. All we know now is that it's there and it needs to be destroyed. So, let's go."

"Hmph! You think I've completely forgiven you for being mean to me?"

"I'm sorry. I've must have been pretty stressed out last night that I became mean to you. Come on. What do I have to do to make up for all that? Some hot noodles?"

Xianghua smiled and took his hand that he was offering her. "It depends on which restaurant you would take me. And, ofcourse, the noodles would have to be really delicious."

"Fine. I'll take you to one in the next town."

"Promise?"

"Yeah. That is a deal."

"Okay then. Help me up and let's go."

Kilik grunted in agreement as he pulled her up. Both took their knapsacks, slung it to their shoulders and walked, backs towards the sun.

The grass had remained green while the leaves of the deciduous trees had started to color into hues of red, orange and yellow. The days had become shorter and the cold air brought by the gusts of wind sharply pierced through their clothes and onto their skins—another reason for them to hurry towards the next village. It would be very cold to spend the night outdoors with nothing but cloaks and knapsacks and weapons to sleep with. Although they could do it, it was not their idea to try.

As they trudged on the cleared paths among the grasses, with forest trees looking tiny behind them and the fading glare of the sun caressing the napes of their necks, they came upon what looked like a farmer resting under a tree beside their path. He was leaning on the tree, sickle on the ground and hands behind his head. As he sensed them approaching, he stood up and greeted them.

"Good day. It's a pleasant afternoon to be in a hike, isn't it?"

"Yes," replied Xianghua cheerfully. "It's nice to see trees weep colorful leaves and to feel the cool autumn breezes. Makes us want the coziness of a house and the warmth of tea."

"Ah yes. But where are you heading with dusk a few hours away? I'm certain you're not spending the night outdoors here?"

"No, no. We're hiking as fast as we can to reach the next town. We wouldn't want to try being frozen here right before winter comes," Xianghua laughed as the man approached them.

"Yes. Well, there is a shortcut ahead from here. You could take it to cut two hours from your walk. Are you familiar with it?"

"No. This is our first time to be in here," Kilik replied. "But could we ask you a favor. Being strangers to this place, could you tell us how to reach the shortcut."

"That is absolutely no problem. I could even lead you towards where the starting point of the shortcut is. From then on, the road is straight and you'd be in town in no time. Come, let me accompany you."

The two expressed their gratitude on the man. Xianghua liked him immediately. She looked at him in an interested manner. As she gazed at the man, she couldn't shake away the feeling that she had seen him before several times although having met him personally only once. With her curiosity one of the least traits that she could suppress adeptly, she produced a question immediately for him.

"Um, mister, you look very familiar to me. Have we ever met before?"

"Hmm. I believe we did."

"Really? When? Where?"

"It was one day similar to today while you were searching for something. I believe the place also looked similar to this except for the plants being greener than today."

"Eh? Hmm. Searching for something…? I don't know…" she said with a scratch on the head.

"There. If you go up the ridge and follow the path, you won't have to circle around the forest."

Kilik and Xianghua bowed their heads at him in gratitude. "Xie xie. _("Thank you". The 'x' is pronounced as the 'x' in Xianghua_)"

"So now," the man said as he picked up his sickle, a rather large and heavily ornamented one. He lifted it up over his shoulder and prepared to strike.

"Wait, what are you doing?" Xianghua asked in confusion.

"I'm doing my purpose."

"Huh! I remember you now—"

"Yes, and also probably what the outcome of this would be."

"What? You're Zasalamel. How could I have not noticed?"

"Xianghua, get out of the way! He's going to strike!"

"Prepare to die!" He stepped forward as he swung his scythe in a wide horizontal arc. Kilik pulled Xianghua back as both evaded the first strike. Their aggressor marched towards them, preparing to launch another as the two drew their weapons.

"I won't let you succeed as you had before! You definitely would not win this one!" the female warrior stated as she charged towards her enemy. With a yell, she thrust her sword at his chest but was subsequently blocked. Withdrawing her sword, she thrust it towards his leg.

Zasalamel smirked as he swatted the low thrust with the lower end of his scythe and raised an arm by his head, which received a kick intended for his head.

"You seem to be sure of yourself, young girl. You don't even know how to use your sword or know the purpose of using it," he answered as he pushed the shaft of his scythe on her chest, causing her to stagger back.

"Shut up!" she whirled to his side as she produced a horizontal strike on his belly, which was once again blocked. "I know how to use my sword and why I use it: I use it to protect the ones I cherish!"

Zasalamel only chuckled, "We'll see about that."

She slid towards his side and attempted to slam the flat part of her sword on him. Zasalamel countered by swinging his weapon upward deflecting the blow intended for him, causing her sword to shoot upwards and landing some distances from her. She looked at her sword bewildered unaware of the scythe swinging down on her.

"Xianghua! Watch out!"

She wasn't able to react with the events happening very fast. She felt herself pushed sideways as she heard a sharp clanging of two weapons. She looked to her right and saw Kilik, arms lifted, his weapon held firmly against the enemy's scythe.

"Predictable," was their nemesis' only word as he twisted his beak-shaped weapon and pulled back violently, staggering Kilik towards him. Zasalamel unhooked his weapon and leaped, spinning in the air before landing a kick on Kilik's chest, causing him to fly backwards and skidding on the grassy surface.

As the scythe-wielder landed on the ground, he spun again with his weapon sweeping the ground, aimed at Xianghua's feet, who, although surprised, reacted reflexively, hopping over it. Zasalamel jabbed his palm at her belly causing her to be thrown away as well.

"Ugh!" she uttered as she landed beside her sword, which was stabbed on the ground. She supported herself with her arm as she propped herself up and reached for her sword, using it to anchor herself as she knelt unstably. She looked ahead and saw two pairs of white boots approach her. Following the outline of the man upwards, her gaze steadily climbed up to her foe's head. She froze as her eyes locked up onto his and, instantly, her mind was seized by his left eye which now glowed a golden color.

She recognized what was taking place and tried hard to resist it. "No. No! Not this again!" she thought. The sensation of fear rose up once again on her body, taking control of her muscles, paralyzing her. She felt the surging of this feeling hit her like a splash of cold ocean waves on her body.

"You said: the purpose of your sword is to protect the people you cherish. But how will you do it if you could not even pick it up and use it?"

Xianghua gritted her teeth as she tried to push away the fear that rushed in on her. Suddenly, slender snakes shot up from the ground and coiled on her limbs and body. Their jaws opened revealing vicious fangs that dripped with black poison.

"Urgh!" she yelled as she fought back in her mind. The image of the snakes flickered and vanished for a while but returned. The feeling of terror finally broke through the dam that she enclosed them with and completely washed her up.

The image of Kilik leaning on her, deathly pale and laboring for every breath—

The image of herself standing helplessly as her partner and friend got beaten severely before her—

The image of herself, doing nothing but washing her face with tears as she remorsed over her incapability to protect and save someone—

The image of Zasalamel, her nemesis, staring down at her, his face filling her vision and his voice filling her hearing, as he taunted her—

—thoughts and images flooded her mind, drowning her completely, leaving no space for her autonomy. She shivered and crumpled down, her hands reached for her temples and brushed through her hair. Suddenly, her eyes caught the blur of someone headed towards their direction.

"Kilik," she spoke, initially as a whisper but soon elevating in volume. "Kilik! Go! Save yourself! Run. Run away!"

Kilik skidded towards a stop as he stood between Xianghua and Zasalamel, staff ready for battle in his hands. Zasalamel quickly approached him and engaged in battle.

The staff equipped warrior produced two upward strokes, which were blocked and deflected. He proceeded into spinning with his staff, multiple times causing his foe to back several times. With his last spin, Zasalamel held his scythe vertically catching his staff and ultimately halting his whirling motion. Tiltin the scythe upwards, its wielder swung the butt of his weapon, with its pointed end upwards and jabbing it towards Kilik's chest. Kilik bent his body and tilted away from the lethal thrust.

"Kilik! Listen to me! He's going to kill you. He'll end up finishing your life. Please! Listen to me. Get away. Get away!"

Kilik stepped back, avoiding a low sweeping kick, and poked his staff onto Zasalamel's head. The latter tilted his head to evade the thrust. Catching Kilik in his mid-thrust, the scythe wielder stepped forward, grabbed his shirt, kneed on his chest and threw him aside.

"Urf!" Kilik yelled in pain before getting slung aside. He immediately got up and looked over to his companion who was kneeling by her sword. He had no time to get to her for he was immediately confronted once again by their enemy.

"Kilik, why can't you hear me? Go! Get away for I can't help you," she sobbed. "I can't save you…"

A voice from nowhere suddenly spoke to her. "He will never hear you. Save your energy and relish this moment for your voice will not reach him."

"Why? Why can't I reach him with my voice? Why can't he hear me?"

"Your lips are sealed along with your body frozen in your fear. Though you scream as loud as you can, it is only in your mind where it happens."

"What? No. I must warn him—"

Kilik skidded on his back once more after he spiraled in the air from a kick on his right temple. He tried to get up, leaning on one arm. He looked over again to Xianghua who was frozen stiff in her posture. Her face was tensed which was all he could read from her from afar.

But wait!

He saw something glowing on her cheeks. Tears! Where they tears that was crawling down her face? Was she crying?

In her mind, Xianghua continued her pleas. "Kilik! I can't let you die again! Please… Please… Hear me…"

The deep voice of a man spoke to her again in her mind, "You said the purpose of your sword is to protect the ones you cherish. But now look, one of the persons you treasure is about to die even though your sword is by your side. Are you capable of saving? Are you capable of executing what you say? Or maybe your statements are but a dream of a dreamer, a wishful thinking of someone weak who wishes to save someone but is incapable of doing so."

Zasalamel steadily approached Kilik, who was severely weakened and injured, almost unable to stand. The scythe-wielder looked at the kneeling female warrior, again, with his left eye glowing a golden color.

"Let me end his suffering as well as your suffering."

Xianghua's pupils dilated as her face froze in shock.

Kilik leaned on his staff, barely standing…

Zasalamel stood in front of him, staff in his hands, and pulled back his scythe, the butt of his weapons pointed to Kilik's chest…

Kilik, weakened and could barely move…

…a quick thrust in the chest, the tip of the scythe's lower end protruding on Kilik's back…

A silent scream of a woman. A man of dark skin with a smirk on his face, left eye glowing a golden color. A thousand tears steadily streaming as a wound inflicted several months ago was reopened and ripped apart. A heart that slowed its beat due to a profound loneliness and grief, spite and remorse, helplessness and incapability.

Weak… weak… weak… weak… weak… weak… weak… weak… weak…

"Noooooooo!"

-0-

Xianghua awoke with a gasp, cold sweat bathing her face and hands in tremors. She panted several long intakes of air and looked about.

It was still dark.

No sunlight had ever glowed its way through the tiny crevices of the forest cottage, lighting the room even if dimly. The flames of the fireplace had long been doused and the embers had died many hours ago.

Careful to not wake anyone, Xianghua quietly picked her up and limped towards the back door. She opened it soundlessly and closed it behind her.

As it was inside, so was it in the forest. Everything was still asleep.

Perfect.

It was the ambiance that she looked for. Steadily, she limped towards the tree where Kilik and her had hid the night before. She sat by its roots, pulled up her knees and buried her face.

Suddenly, she heaved one breath and trembled violently. Quiet sobs erupted from her mouth as whimpers and grunts poured out.

Everything was asleep and not a single soul could ever know one lonely girl hiding in her refuge…

-0-

_Fine_

_-0-_


	6. Chapter 6: Yinyang

**Chapter 6: Yinyang**

_Author's Note: _

_I'm back! I'm really sorry, everyone, that I've neglected my work after two generations of the SC game (the SCIV and SC-psp game) and after two years. I didn't play any of those though because I don't have a PS3 or a PSP. I'm still stuck with my PS2 with no plans of buying a new console. I was just simply busy with… uh… work. So, here goes…_

_Recap: Xianghua and Kilik met in an arena and fighting their way as they escaped, they successfully evaded a delusional Chinese official, Wei Zhongxiang, and his hundreds of forces. They hid themselves in the hut of a hermit, named Bi Zhihao (or simply Grandpa Zhi). He was kind enough to tend to their injuries and hide them from pursuers who wanted them (and who raided his house unsuccessfully). Xianghua had weird dreams about his failure to save Kilik from a mysterious man named Zasalamel._

_Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Soul Calibur's franchise characters. This is after all a fan fiction for the enjoyment of fans and writers._

_PS: I re-edited the previous chapters (which simply put, I changed the double dashes in between scenes to '-0-' so that they would appear). For some reason, ff dot net took them away. Grammar-wise, I had to re-check them again and see if they didn't get worse. Also, if anybody spots any in this current chapter, please tell me and I'd be happy to fix them. Thanks!_

-0-

"Have you ever noticed anything peculiar about her recently?" Zhi asked Kilik as he sat on one of the tree stumps that studded the front of his small cottage. He indicated the girl sitting on one of the insignificant tree stumps just in front of his house. The girl was wrapped with a thick cloak, looking contented observing her surroundings and deeply absorbed in her thoughts. She clutched the cloak tighter and shivered a bit as the cold autumn air blew a light breeze on her.

"Hm?" Kilik replied as he raised his axe in the air and let it down with both hands slamming it on a short segment of a tree trunk with a diameter like that of a cow's leg.

Whack! Both pieces fell with a clatter in opposite directions. He succeeded in chopping the firewood in one strike.

"Not that I know her better than you do. You do know her better since you've been with her, for how many years—? Well, only both of you know. I'm just saying that there is something that I've noticed that is peculiar about her and that maybe you already knew about it. I thought maybe you could tell me about it?"

Kilik grunted as he let down his axe again and a sound of two pieces of wood clattering on the sparsely grassed soil resounded.

Zhi eyed Kilik. "What do you say?"

Kilik picked up the two sliced wood and tossed it onto a pile of chopped wood nearby. He took another short segment of a firewood and placed it on one tree stump scarred with many axe strikes that it had sustained for several years as it served as a chopping board. He raised his axe once again—

"Am I talking to a man or to a tree stump?"

"Huh, I'm sorry?"

"What's with you? I've been talking to you for so long and all this time, you've been in your own world, not listening to me. Is this how you treat everyone around you? You've been listening to no one, feeling no one and being harsh to everyone. No wonder you are like that and she is like that."

Kilik felt a restricted irritation welting up in him. He was about to name him a nagger. Ever since he had been with him, the old man's chatter and lectures frequented his ears. It was like he couldn't escape a conversation without them. The old man, moreover, seemed to favor his female companion more than him and what gentleness the old man showed Xianghua, it was constant nagging for him. 'Kilik this, Kilik that!'

He sighed.

"What are you talking about?" Kilik asked casually as he rested his palms onto the butt end of the axe as its head stood on the soil. He wiped his forehead with the back of his palms which caught no sweat due to the cold season. He noted that the old man's eyebrows had knitted into a hard knot and his eyes fixed upon his in a hard gaze. The old man started to say something nasty but stopped abruptly and resolved instead to say:

"I said earlier: did you ever notice anything peculiar with Xianghua, whom you're with for since I don't know when?"

"What do you mean?"

It was now Zhi's turn to sigh. "Are you even noticing her? She's very lonely, have you ever noted that?"

Kilik maintained a plain face and raised both eyebrows.

"She is?" he murmured and absently echoed: "She is."

Zhi scratched his forehead and slowly approached Kilik and slowly elevated his hand in knuckle form.

"Are you a rock or something?" he asked inquisitively as he tapped Kilik's forehead with his knuckles several times. "I can't believe that anybody can be that insensitive."

The younger man abruptly deflected the elderly's hand. "Please stop it!"

The latter muttered a long 'oh' while nodding. "So a rock can feel somehow and be touchy at times."

Kilik restrained himself out of respect for the elderly and ignored Zhi's retort. He immediately picked up his axe and resumed his chopping chore, this time with added fervor.

With the youth's back turned on him, the older man circled around to face the latter.

"The girl is not even giving signals subtly, though she tries hard to. Look, is she your friend or not? All I'm saying is that she has troubles inside and she needs saving. She needs help and she needs it most from someone who has been with her longer. I cannot help her better than you can."

Kilik continued his chopping chore as if he never heard a thing. All the old man could do was to scratch the top of his head in frustration.

"Are you really her friend? You should atleast show concern about her condition and be the one telling me these things! What _is_ your problem? What is she to you? A prisoner? A slave? Tell me; because I'm getting confused between the two of you."

"It is not your concern, Grandpa."

"—What?"

When the old man didn't get a reply, he exhaled. Kilik bent his head, allowing his shoulder-length hair to fall around his face, concealing the frown he recently put on his face.

"Forgive me, but I don't want you to interfere."

The old man squinted his eyes, looked away and moved his jaw sideways.

"You're going along a path you'll regret someday," the old man said solemnly. "This, I don't want to happen to you. Its effects, I don't want to happen to her… I'm sorry but I can't honor your request; that would mean repeating a grave mistake that has haunted me ever since."

What the old man said struck the youth's head like a pepper ball-sized stone but enough to be noticed; the latter held his axe in the air in a pause before resuming his work. Zhi sat on a tree stump nearby.

There was a long pause before Kilik broke the silence.

"What is it?"

The old man prolonged the silence before saying:

"You two reminded me of my son, you know, Longyi and my daughter-in-law, Huaning. You, being serious, strong-willed and quiet. Xianghua, volatile in mood; cheerful but easily depressed. Unlike you two, they blended like tea and water, however different they were. All these goodness until the day Longyi chose his path of destruction. I _know_ that your relationship with each other is not what was and should be. Your paths have crossed each other making your lives intertwine irrevocably and sealed by destiny. Unless you work together, you would be like a single twine pulling a load of cart; you will break from whatever task you wish to undertake."

The old man bore his gaze onto the young man's eyes implanting his words deeply. Kilik stood immobile as his eyes shifted towards Xianghua who sat near the hut, examining the brightly colored leaf, degraded of its life, drifting downwards to the ground. He examined her and his thoughts.

Why is she that way? What are the motives that caused her to act like that? She wasn't anywhere near her current character in the past. Before, she was sharp, determined and strong. He recalled one his masters during his days at the temple saying to him: a man's actions are the fruits of his character. The roots of his character are the events that molded him. From the choices and deeds of a person, one could map out the person's background.

What about Xianghua's? He was busy with his concerns that he hadn't noticed the details of her changes. All he had known recently was that she was flawed and… despicable.

He inwardly gasped upon discovering those hidden thoughts. Where did he draw them? As he dug into himself, he saw his sorrows and frustrations over his failure. His greatest failure. One that killed of his sister.

"Well," the old man exhaled. "It's your call. Don't say I didn't warn you."

The creaky door opened as Kilik stepped inside the hut. The fire was already lit up with the old man sipping a hot tea at the dining table and an impatient Xianghua staring back at him.

"Kilik, I've been thinking about my jade comb. You know that it's my only surviving heirloom from my mother, right? And I'm sure I heard you promised that you'd get my comb after we fled the other day."

"Oh, that? Well, forget about it."

"Oh, you mean that I should forget my comb or that you made a promise?"

"It's just a comb. I can buy you another one just like the original. There are other things we should concern about rather than trifle things as that."

"Just a comb?" Xianghua flared. "You know that I've treasured it all my life; it's the only memorabilia of my mother and you say it's just a comb?"

Kilik waved her away. "I don't get the point of arguing this thing. A comb is just a comb and is used for the hair. Memories are a part of the heart and would always be treasured there. Items are not necessary to remind you of them. It would be foolish to risk your life for objects and your comb is not an exception."

"But you made a promise! I believed you when you sincerely told me that you would get it afterwards!"

"Grow up, Xianghua! You know as well as I do that that is impossible. You know that what I said was just to keep you from going back to get it at that time."

Xianghua's mouth dropped open. Tears were now streaming on her cheeks. "You lied! I can't believe I believed you there! I can't believe that I've ever believed you! I never thought that you—you're a liar!"

"Shut up, Xianghua! Stop making a scene. This whole thing is pointless. Arguing about a comb is just childish."

"What a cruel thing to say! That is the only treasure that I had. You're so insensitive to feel what others feel because you're heart is but a beating pebble inside your chest."

"Be practical, won't you? And stop acting like a brat. We have an even greater task aside from that. It takes priority. End of the conversation."

She narrowed her eyes and in an effort, shut her mouth tight, abruptly stood and started limping towards the door.

"What are you doing?" Kilik demanded.

"That's none of your business," Xianghua answered coldly.

"Hey, if you're thinking of getting that comb, you'd be no wiser than the donkey in Grandpa's Zhi's stable. You will only get yourself killed."

"I'm leaving. Since you're too much of a liar to keep your promises, I'm going to retrieve it myself."

"I can't believe I'm hearing this. Can you actually see yourself right now? You're going to barge in limping like that onto the middle of the hostile village to retrieve a comb? This is madness."

"Shut up! I'm not listening to you anymore. I've heard enough of your lies!"

"Foolish. You're going to get yourself killed."

Zhi brought down his cup of tea on the table loudly as a statement.

"Both of you—stop it!" and he turned to Xiaghua.

"My dear, don't go out; it's cold outside. Stay here by the fire or you will catch a cold." Zhi approached her slowly, reassuringly. Taking her wrist gently, he guided her to sit in front of the dining table.

"He lied to me. I can't believe I've been so dumb to believe him," she sobbed as the old man gently patted her hand. "I could've gotten it if he hadn't prevented me. But he just deceived me. He's just as conniving as a snake."

"What's there to lie about? I've saved your life there. It's just a comb. So settle down and stop crying!" Kilik argued causing Zhi to stare at him angrily. Kilik only huffed and looked away.

"I've told you before that it's not just a comb. It's the only possession that I have that reminds me of my mother. How would you understand? You wouldn't know because you don't even have one—you were raised by the monks!"

Kilik flashed at him fiercely.

"Shhh. That's enough, Xianghua," Zhi whispered to her gently. "Don't worry, I go to the village everyday. I'll make sure I'll have it when I get back here tomorrow."

"Grandpa Zhi, I don't think that is wise. Poking around her place while the situation is still hot would only endanger you. It's not worth it. I think it would be best if you leave this business alone."

Zhi turned sideways to Kilik. "I think it would be best if you leave us both for the moment."

Kilik scowled but left as was told to do.

"Come here, my daughter," he coaxed her. "I urge you, please don't leave. I agree with him in that what you are planning to do is unwise and would waste your precious life."

"It's not just a comb," she said, voice unsteady as she reluctantly drew near him.

"I understand," he whispered.

"It's the only thing I have that reminds me of my family... I'm a warrior, I know it, and I've given my everything for it. But can't I, for once, be a girl who had lost her family and loves an object because of the memory it brings? Why does he keep on saying it was just a comb? Why can't he understand me?"

"My dear…" was all Zhi could say as he patted her hand. She blinked as she sobbed.

Kilik turned for the twentieth time since when he first attempted to sleep. That was quite a long time ago. He had lost track of time but was pretty sure he had been awake for around three hours. He tried to see around the darkly lit room. There was Zhi's silhouette at the far end opposite the fire place while Xianghua rested near the fireplace, now with slowly dying fire, like the atmosphere outside the house which announced the nearing arrival of winter. The house creaked with the howl of the winds outside. Branches rustling could be overheard from the inside. Inspite of the noisy environment outside, the hut was able to enclose its peace inside and no strand of the bitter cold was able to penetrate the wooden hut—with every holes and gaps of the wood sealed with pitched tar.

Though peace was inside the hut, it wouldn't enter Kilik. What was inside him was like the ravenous raging wind outside. He sat cross-legged, frustrated that his efforts to sleep were fruitless. He placed his forearms on his thighs, shut his eyes and breathed slowly; he started to meditate.

None of the things taught to him by his masters were surfacing on him. It seemed that the turmoil within him had piled up and buried those that were essential to him—including his vital peace. He felt like a rookie student from Li-Sheng Su Temple, learning its basic teachings, trying hard but finding it difficult to apply the knowledge handed to him.

He even found it hard to try to recall other things that was taught to him including the mental exercises to begin the calming process. He tried to remember one scene when his master, Da Fu, was teaching him about the harmony of all things as he sat at the banks of the Huang Ho River.

"Life is continuous with each other," Da Fu had said while Kilik was attempting his first meditation. "Every element of the earth intertwines with the other and is continuous with the latter like a thread of silk. However different one is with the other, you cannot separate them. That is because life is about contradictions and accepting them as a part of life. If you try to part them, you will find yourself in turmoil. Life and death, joy and sorrow, pain and pleasure—you must accept that they are one with another. That is the concept of yinyang. With this, you will find peace."

Kilik paid no attention to him, never understanding any of its meaning. He could not even feel his environment. All he was concerned about was that sunset was almost there and that his meditation session was near its end. He stifled a yawn as he sat, cross-legged with the back of his hands on top of his thighs.

Now, he envied how, as a boy, he could have peace without the effort he needed now. Peace was not his issue then; it was distraction and how his attention was fleeting. All he needed at that time was discipline to curb his thoughts into peace. Now, it's different and much harder. Or is it?

He wished that like the other ailments, some medicine or ointment could be given to him which would cure him of all these. He ran his hands through his face and through his hair.

He awoke as he heard the back door creaked to a close and then some light footsteps limping across the room. He blinked the mist in his eyes and saw Xianghua trudging to the dining area. He noted that her gait had improved. Light had made its way through the slits of the door and the windows from the outside.

Vaguely, he had remembered waking up before the sun rose. He wasn't even sure if Xianghua's getting up was a dream or not. He laid down his head again on his sleeping mat. He heard the sound of a chair being pulled and then another sound of someone sitting on it.

"Are you going to lie there all day like a bum? Breakfast is already cold and won't warm anymore than it is. Besides, you have tons of work to do for this morning," Xianghua said dryly. Kilik propped himself up.

"What?"

"It's says here you have to chop and produce 500 pieces of firewood before grandpa Zhi comes home."

"What? That's insane!"

He rushed to the table and snatched the piece of note that she was reading. He snorted in dismay as he read the note:

'I went out early as usual to sell some firewood to the village. I'd be back at noon. I made some congee for both of you. Please don't fight each other while I'm gone. Xianghua: continue resting and don't work yourself too hard. Don't forget the ointments I gave you for your sprain and keep on applying warm damp clothes on it. Kilik: since you're well and don't have much to do at home, I'd be expecting you to chop 500 pieces of firewood and finish when I come back. I need the firewood in haste and this may decide whether you (Kilik) can continue your stay. Be good.

-Zhi-'

Kilik was wide-eyed and could not distinguish if he had returned to his dream world or not. He stared and reread the note again. Just yesterday, he was asked to chop a hundred firewood. He hadn't expected the increase on his quota to be this large.

'So that is the reason why the old man asked me to cut down that great tree yesterday,' he thought regretfully. He had a feeling that he was caught in this whirlpool which was dragging him down.

"Since you have so much to do, why are you wasting your time staring at that note for so long?" Xianghua interrupted his thoughts. Kilik narrowed his eyes at her while she smiled at him thinly, waving her hand at him in a shooing motion.

"Me? Well, it's pretty tiring having to sit all day. Maybe I'll have some of it more," she said as she grinned at him deviously.

Drenched in sweat, he hacked brutally at his nemesis, pouring out all his frustration—and irritation. Lifting his axe, he swiftly dropped it on his enemy.

Whack!

The axe was briefly stuck at the wooden block which he withdrew quickly to aim for another strike. The sun was already above his head; the cold wind could not penetrate his heat-laden body which was like a burning oven.

Quickly, he tossed the split-up pair of woods onto a pile of its predecessors. The pile had already reached quite some height but he knew that with all his haste and the impressive display of his work, he had yet to complete half more of the task given to him. He knew that his work was becoming vain. The old man was to come anytime now. Not knowing why, but he continued his work as if he had all the time needed to finish his chore. Determinedly and with fury, yet with anxiety—

He heard the sound of hooves softly pounding the forest floor with the sound of bi-wheels creaking and rolling behind it. He clenched his teeth mildly and exhaled softly. He only finished a little above half of what was required of him. 'It doesn't matter,' he thought. 'I can live outdoors if ever that old man drives me out. It will be alright."

Suddenly, he saw the old man passing by him and heading straight to the hut. Their eyes met briefly as the latter led his donkey towards the back side of the hut.

-0-

Xianghua turned towards the door as it quickly creaked open.

"Good day, grandpa Zhi. How did the trip go?"

Zhi replied. "Well, pretty good. I sold my whole cart of firewood. The weather has been kind to my business. My trade is very much in demand." He chuckled as he jingled his purse bulging with silver coins.

"That's good… What do we have for dinner?"

"I bought some noodles for a change. We'd have noodles and meat for dinner."

"Excellent…" she said uninterestedly. "Um, so anything new happened today?"

"Ah! Yes, I almost forgot!"

Xianghua's attention immediately rose up.

"I almost failed to get that precious thing but that kind old lady helped me by lowering the price for it. When I saw it, it was the most beautiful, beautiful basket I've ever seen. See!"

Zhi took out a large basket, woven with dried grass.

Xianghua tried to hide a pout. "It's quite ordinary," she thought.

Zhi maintained a grin as he continued.

"Ah. Look at its craftsmanship, the way the strands of dried grass woven together, the tone of the colors painted on it. It is too wonderful to describe…"

The old man continued ranting about the adored basket while Xianghua's heart continued to drop. She was embarrassed to bring up the topic about her comb but was very anxious to know if Zhi had it for her. Atlast, her anxiety got the best of her and she interrupted Zhi's monologue.

"Eh?" Zhi thought for a while putting a hand in front of his mouth before giving a sigh of disappointment. "I'm sorry, my child. I tried my best. I really tried but even though I searched the whole place…" He shook his head sadly.

Xianghua couldn't hide her disappointment. She didn't cry but her face was very downcast. There was no fighting against tears, trembling of lips, quiet sobbing or walking out of the room—she just stared blankly, glumly, at the fire in the fireplace.

Disappointed.

"On the bright side, I was just kidding!" Zhi blurted out.

"You're so mean! You're playing with me!" Xianghua squealed, half hurt, half enjoying the prank on her. She rapped at Zhi's arm several times before laughing out loud with him. She had enjoyed the joke, being good-natured as she was.

"That is something to remember! That is a worthwhile accomplishment of my life!" Zhi laughed.

"You even think of this as a milestone! That was so naughty of you, Grandpa Zhi!" she gazed at her prized possession which the old man handed to her, thumbing it lovingly.

"Oh, you should seen yourself on the mirror after hearing me say: 'I was kidding.' That look which didn't know what expression to make, haha! That was something!" And his laughter died down to a wheezing giggle.

"Yes, that was hilarious!" she giggled with him but soon turned solemn. "But really, grandpa Zhi, thank you."

"Aww, don't spoil the mood. That was the point of this whole thing."

As Xianghua approached to give the elderly man a hug, she said: "Well, then, take this!" she poked her forefinger on his side which cracked him all the more into laughter.

"No— hahaha… stop! I'm very ticklish!"

"You deserve it!" she squealed.

Kilik was beside the fireplace, unnoticed as he put down a bundle of wood beside it and placed additional firewood on the dancing flame. He felt their laughter contagiously creeping into him. He couldn't help himself as the corners of his mouth tried to twitch upwards which he so vainly tried to suppress. He felt like he was seeing a whole new side of Xianghua—which he knew wasn't true.

It was just because he hadn't seen her like this, unaffected by any anxieties and stresses, for so long that he had almost forgotten that she had this with her. He began to wonder, what had happened to her? He began to see the direction Zhi was pointing him to. There ought to be a reason to her current state.

He began to see her in a new light. What she had done before that angered him was not on purpose. His plans upon meeting her which she had innocently ruined shrank into triviality. He decided that, maybe, he should be less harsh on her.

He innocently overlooked, though, that he was a contributing factor on her burdens.

"You know," he heard Zhi speaking to Xianghua. "This is the first time I saw you smile like that."

"Really?"

"Yes. You should stick that often into your face."

"Yes. I guess you're right."

"And you know what?"

"What is it?"

"I think you really are a happy person."

Xianghua giggled a little and smiled genuinely. "Well… I guess you're right."

"Let me see that comb of yours."

"Here."

"Ah, it is a fine comb. The original bearer of this had fine taste."

"She sure does," Xianghua replied serenely as she thought of her mother.

"Can I see it on you?"

Xianghua grunted in approval.

"Whoa!" Zhi hummed admiringly. "Your mother must have been so beautiful to have a daughter like you. I'm sure, right now, where she is, she is very, very proud of you."

Xianghua sat on her knees smiling, her hair fixed at the back of her head with the jade comb ornamenting it; the comb highlighted the shine of her hair. Her eyes curved like a hill as she smiled. The flame burning at the fire place danced a theme of contentment and peace which radiated among the inhabitants of the hut.

-0-

Kilik started to shiver as the warmth from practicing with his bo staff started to wane off and the chill of the dawn autumn air began to penetrate his bones. He decided that it was a good work out and he saw that his finesse and speed still improved and had not rusted as he had thought after being cooped up in the hut for the fourth day with only the chopping of firewood his only physical routine. It also elevated his mood which had become dreary recently.

'Too much thinking is bad for me,' he thought, self delighted and pleased with what he had done. 'Now, back to work! I wonder if Xianghua is already awake. Grandpa Zhi would probably be in town selling his wood by now. That early bird always beat me in rising early.'

Shakily, he opened the entrance door of the hut which creaked boisterously for his ears. He was surprised upon finding Xianghua sitting in front of the table, sipping some steaming _cha, _or tea.

"Good day," she greeted curtly.

He grunted back. "You're awake," he muttered. "How's your foot."

"Not so bad. I can walk some distance without feeling any pain."

"That's good…"

There was a long pause between the two. No truce or treaty of peace had been formally convened between them and it was their first awkward, real, non-aggressive conversation.

"Xianghua…?" he started to open up the conversation and try to reconcile with her—officially.

"Huh?"

"Nope, nothing…" he sighed. 'Too weak,' he thought as he afflicted himself for that failure.

"Oh," she chimed as Kilik went towards the table to pour himself _cha_. "Grandpa Zhi left a note. Here."

He, at first, frowned upon receiving the note but soon popped his eyes open.

"What?" she inquired but was fully ignored.

Kilik's eyes shifted as he read the note:

'Since, I'm pleased to say, you had exceeded the 500 pieces of firewood yesterday, I'm increasing your workload to 1000 pieces of firewood by the time I got back. Please do so diligently…"

"But I know I counted below three hundred yesterday," he muttered.

"Huh?" Xianghua looked at him confusedly.

He continued reading:

'You counted wrong. It was about five hundred and fifty two to be exact aside from several pieces that were off for my size requirements.'

Kilik frowned and thought: 'I know I even double checked it…"

The note said: 'Oh. So you would argue with Old Zhi who had been a merchant by profession for many years! How disrespectful!'

'What? No! I'm not arguing with Grandpa Zhi,' Kilik denied in his mind. 'Wait. Is the note speaking to my thoughts? Is that even possible?'

He gingerly scanned his surroundings for any signs of Zhi and continued on the note:

'Well, ofcourse, I'm not there! I'm already at the town by now! So-hurry-up-and-finish-that-tea-of-yours because you have lots of work to do!'

He stared at the cup of tea in his hands strangely and back at that note.

'…because if you don't, you won't have a house to stay for the night!"

He sighed hopelessly. 'He's so harsh!' he thought. He slowly descended to a slouch on his own chair. 'He's becoming a slave driver...'

"Oh," Xianghua interrupted his thoughts. "Grandpa Zhi said he was kidding about the consequence."

"Really!" he lighted up.

"He said he would not feed you instead if you don't."

"That's reassuring!" he said sarcastically as he slouched back.

"Nah, I was just kidding!"

"Huh?"

"Grandpa Zhi didn't tell me anything," Xianghua grinned.

"You're annoying, you know."

"Yup," she giggled as she sipped from her cup again.

"Wait. Did you read this note?"

"No. I just knew it was for you because when it was folded, the outside of the note said: Kilik."

"Huh? But how come…? Wait, did you also just read my mind?"

She almost sputtered the tea from her mouth as she chuckled, "Read your mind? I don't even know anyone could do that! You are really some wacko."

"Hmm…" Kilik grunted as he studied back the note more puzzled than ever.

And so…

Kilik was back into the frontyard chopping wood and sweating inspite of the chilly temperature. As the intermittent whacks continued on under the red sky, some hoofbeats and creaks of a pair of wooden wheels were heard. He puffed as he wiped his forehead with the back of his hand, his other hand, holding shakily the butt end of his axe. He straightened painfully his weary back and despaired. Despite additional efforts the whole day, he estimated that the wood that he had chopped was a little over four hundred.

The cart passed by him with Zhi leading the pulling donkey back to its shed. "How's the chopping going?" the old man called out.

"Well… about that…" the younger man muttered. It was some time before Zhi was able to settle the cart and its donkey in their places and he came back. Kilik was toiling shirtless, his apparel hanging among the pile of chopped woods.

"You better wear that shirt of yours or the wind would take it away. Besides, you could catch a cold with what you're doing. What guy would be shirtless in this climate?" the older man called from behind as he approached. "Hey, you should take a rest. Your face is all red. Come, I'll make you some tea. You should be thirsty at that state."

"No, I can't," Kilik answered between breaths. "I still have so much to do."

"Oh, nonsense. That could wait tomorrow or the next. There would always be chopping woods everyday for years to come but a man's life would only remain for a few years. You shouldn't work to death because you work to live. Come, or do I have to drag you to come?"

Kilik obeyed and regained his shirt. Soon, both sat face to face, each on top of one tree stump.

"Grandpa Zhi, I'm sorry, I have failed to do your task. I know I don't have the right to ask this but… Please, could you make me stay?"

The old man saw a change in him and was touched by the youth's earnestness in his plea and smiled.

"Do you know why I worked you so hard?"

"To punish me?"

The old man chuckled. "Well, that is not exactly the word I was going to say."

"Then… why did you make me do it?"

"You see, I know that you and Xianghua used to be good friends. I know that; I somehow felt that. But recently, you are always fighting and yelling, fighting and hurting each other some more. I couldn't stand as both of you drift apart by the careless words you tell each other everyday. Well, ofcourse, I couldn't make Xianghua do the chopping so I made you do it."

"That's… the reason?" Kilik's face was stupefied.

"Well, not the reason by itself but one of the reasons. Your hard work really boosted my production and I was able to sell more because of you. Really, wood is in demand back in town because of the climate and the nearing winter."

Kilik was stricken as he looked at Zhi's face.

"Oh, don't look at me like that! I'm not enslaving you for my profit. It's more than that, really! Believe me! In a way, you can think of these things as training for you."

"What? To strengthen my arms?"

"Still, beyond that. When I first saw you, I saw the countenance of my son. I feared for you. You were beyond reasoning and refused to listen to anyone. You were arrogant and thought of others demeaningly. You were so focused with yourself. Xianghua was at fault, too. She had so many issues in her. However, both of you seemed to respond to different treatments. She was more in need of a caring temperament while you… well, that said. But look at you now, I like the way you handle yourself now. I no longer fear for you. You now walk like an honorable warrior."

The old man chuckled and muttered to himself. "I can't really thank Sun Tzu enough."

"Huh?"

"Ah, nothing! As I was saying: you truly walk differently now. You show more care for people, you show respect and listen to the elderly, and you show perseverance for the sake of people around you. I am proud of you," he tapped him at the shoulder. "I can't say I know everything about you but you've got to show trust among your friends because your burden is their burden while their burden is your burden. Together, all your burdens become light. You know what I mean, don't you?"

"Yes," Kilik's mouth lopsided upwards as he stared at the trees beyond.

"I've had no son for many years, but today, I can say that I can claim one."

Kilik was surprised and looked at him, who was staring directly through him, speaking to his inner being. The old man was smiling, not his gruff manner, but a solemn, concrete smile from a father to a son. Kilik, having known no parents all his life, and having his only family, an adopted sister, Xianglian, killed a few years back, felt this claim of kinship towards him touch the very depths of his soul.

An adoptive father…

"I'm sending both of you away tomorrow. Xianghua is well enough to walk and the swelling has disappeared. If you stay too long, not only my life is in danger, but yours as well. That's why, I'm telling you this… Fix your eyes on your dreams but don't forget to look at the people who care for you. It's always good to have a companion because both of you can strengthen and support each other. Help her. Though she is weak, and you are also weak, together you are more than your adversary. Show care for her, will you? For the sake of this old man here."

Kilik gave a nod and a small smile.

"I hope you learn from Huaning and Long-yi. I hope their deaths are not as nothing as they are now."

"I do," Kilik replied, as earnestly as he had pleaded earlier.

-0-

"Thank you so much for everything," said Xianghua, the next day as both she and Kilik stood at the doorway saying their farewells to Zhi, ready to go outside. The sun was far from rising and the moon stood still in its place, unhurried. Several creaks from the temperate trees resounded as a result of the early morning, autumn breeze that blew along them. Their knapsacks hung on the each of the pair's shoulders and their weapons were in their hands.

"Oh, but I'm not sending you yet; I'm coming along. The crossroad where you're headed is also along my way to town. Could you wait for me for a moment while I ready my donkey and my cart?"

"Sure," replied the two.

It took no more than a moment for the old man to get ready and soon, the three were off. The old man pulled on the beast while the two warriors hiked beside him. Their chatters were at a minimal volume to avoid suspicion in case their pursuers were still nearby.

Just in case…

"Grandpa Zhi, I was puzzled about the letter yesterday," Kilik opened up. "How did you do that trick?"

"What are talking about?"

"Well, it was as if the letter read my mind? Everything written in there… You know…?"

"Ha? Oh, I guess it was some coincidence… Well, did it appear as if I was reading your mind?" the old man chuckled.

"Yes, it did. I was really surprised."

The old man wheezed some laughter. "Well, I guess, unconsciously, I was able to anticipate what you were about to think. I didn't know that. That's something to think about."

"So that's why you were acting strangely yesterday. I really thought you whacked your head when you came back."

They all laughed. A pause followed.

"Grandpa Zhi…"

"What is it, Xianghua?"

"Won't you come with us?"

"Nah, you wouldn't want me to come with you? I'm too old. I'd only be a burden to you two. Besides, I'm too tired to be in any of your adventures. Even an enemy tortoise would catch up with me if ever another chase would ensue."

"Atleast, we could accompany you until we bring you to another village, safer than this town. After all, that Nubao frequently comes back to beat you up and trash your house. In another town, you might live comfortably and live with neighbors who could help you and talk with you everyday."

Kilik agreed.

Zhi smiled. "No. I'm sorry, my child. As I've said, I'm like a tree. Where I am planted, I am deeply rooted. Even if with all these events and those beatings and thrashing by Wei's henchmen, I simply can't leave. I feel as I won't thrive if I try to start a new life elsewhere. You've already given my lonely life a bright spot and with that, I'm content. I'm just happy to send you off to your quests. There's no need to worry about me."

"We can't convince you, can't we?"

The old man chuckled.

"Well, just promise me that you'd still be alive when I come back to visit you. And I want that hut still in one piece."

"I'll try to live until that day. But don't be gone for so long or my old age might overtake me."

"We won't. And by that time, we're going to give that Wei some beating he deserves so that he'd be crying like a baby and begging for your forgiveness. His face would be as purple as a plum from all our whacking. Right Kilik?" she said enthusiastically, striking her palm.

The old man laughed softly. "That will be the day."

"We will miss you… And I-I can't thank you enough for all the things that you've helped us. We will repay you with whatever we can. You've done so much for us, too much for someone who just knew us recently. You've actually saved our lives. We are deeply indebted to you."

"Oh, nonsense! I did what I could to be a thorn on Wei. You are not some people who I just knew recently, because I won't forget you. Both of you would always have a room in my home."

"We will never forget you, too."

They stopped as they reached the said crossroad.

"Here, it is. Follow the path on this turn and you will soon find yourselves in the next town of Choi Hsien. I heard it's a good town."

They've said their goodbyes and parted ways.

-0-

The sun's initial rays announced its return and the forest began to wake up as well. The pair started off towards the next village while the old man went to Shulinzun to sell his trade. Not long after they parted ways, Kilik halted Xianghua.

"What's the matter?"

"Hush!" he silenced her. "There are some people nearby, watching at us."

At first, she didn't hear or sense anything. Soon, however, she also felt the presence of several men. She couldn't pinpoint where they were exactly but she knew they there. She strolled alertly, weapon on her hand followed by Kilik.

"Wait! Watch your step!"

Crack! Xianghua's foot snapped a branch and Kilik's hand grabbed her wrist just as the grass-covered ground collapsed in front of her. She almost fell on the pit, a trap dug out for them, if not for Kilik's hand holding her. As she recovered her balance, about ten armed men in maroon uniform appeared from the bushes and surrounded them. Wei Zhongxiang's men!

Both drew out their weapons as one of the men chuckled. "I'm impressed. I've seen you holding off several men and escaping an army. But to avoid a hidden trap in an unexpected place—very impressive."

"You're Tang Nubao, aren't you?" Xianghua asked fiercely.

"No, but I can assure you that he's the one coordinating this and you will surely meet him when we bring you to Master Wei Zhongxiang. That old geezer, Zhi, must have tipped you on that. I was sure you were in his house when we searched a few days ago and now, we have sufficient evidence that he did help you. He'll be given his just reward—handsomely."

"You followed us!" Xianghua exclaimed. "Wait! What exactly are you going to do with Grandpa Zhi?"

"Ah! I see you've developed some kinship with that pest. All I can assure you is that he will soon be where all his family are."

"No!" she hissed as she bolted towards the direction of the crossroad.

"Xianghua, wait!" Kilik called but his call didn't reach her. Two men stood to block her escape but she merely arced around them agilely and ran past them.

"Follow her!"

Five men turned and gave pursuit after her while the rest formed a loose circle on Kilik. Not one moved for a moment as all gauged their opponent. Kilik held his bo staff in a defensive stance, both his hands were firmly grasped near the middle third of the weapon, ready to parry any attack. His eyes shifted alertly on his foes.

The man behind him rushed at him and made a preemptive vertical slash as Kilik raised his weapon, without turning around and blocked the attack. He kicked him at the midsection causing the man to stagger. The four, upon seeing their first companion's action, joined in, showing a coordinated attack which looked like it was rehearsed and tactically used to trap a lone warrior. Kilik dropped on the ground as all of them sliced at him horizontally. He spun a kick on the ground which was deftly evaded as all of them stepped backwards to avoid it. Kilik got up and received two attackers at once, pushing him towards the attackers behind him, as he blocked them all. His counterattacks were parried as well; his excellent balance and skill was the only thing preventing him from slipping and losing his balance.

He sensed a glance of the wind behind him. As he turned around, he received three blows from three enemies. He kicked backwards, as he sustained his staff in its blocking stance, to catch an enemy at his back offguard but was surprised when his kick was caught by one of his foe's hands who pulled it forcefully causing him to crash violently on his back. Each of the four men took hold of one his extremities while one stood to deliver a wounding blow to him.

That man stood on Kilik's side, his strike ready to plunge his blade on the staff warrior's abdomen…

-0-

Xianghua's breathing and quick footsteps sent the wild animals scurrying away. She was not alone, however. Without risking to turn to look behind her, she could feel her enemies gaining on her.

"Who are these people?" she thought. "They're so fast and hard to overcome! I've never fought any group this good!"

Finally, the men were directly beside her and had caught up with her. On her left, one of her foes made an attempt to hack her horizontally as she braked and ducked. Two men rushed her as she tried to block them while the other three attempted to surround her. She saw through these and upon parrying one of them, she arced around one in front of her and ran past them. However, instead of continuing in her flight, she ran towards a stout tree and took two steps vertically along its trunk and used her legs to push herself from it towards her pursuing enemies. She shot towards them; as she neared them, she held her weapon above her head to strike them.

Her opponents nimbly scattered away from her and evaded her attack. She landed, almost slipped but rolled to regain her balance and propel her to a standing position. She swerved her jian sword behind her knowing that they were already there. However, instead of striking them, she was stunned upon finding her arm at the clutches of one of her enemies.

"Ah!" she screamed as her arm was violently twisted behind her back. Her sword fell from her hand. A kick sent her prone to the ground, with her hair a violent mess as well as they lay beside her face on the forest floor. A breath on her neck sent a chill to her spine. Someone hissed on her ear.

"You will cooperate with us or you will suffer!"

"Give me back my sword! I'm going to strike you all one by one!"

The face on her ear gave out a chuckle, each breath of the man's chuckle blowing obnoxiously on her.

"You're so funny and pathetic. Just like the old man. We will have the pleasure of seeing both of you suffer."

"You will not lay a finger on him!" she said fiercely.

The man only laughed as he stood on his feet and called to his men. "Let's take her away!"

-0-

The blade grazed Kilik's side as he twisted forcefully to avoid the blow. Fortunately, it didn't scrape his skin. One of the men was off-balanced as a result, and taking advantage of the moment, Kilik kicked at that man's abdomen, sending him staggering away. Kilik pulled his arms of the two who firmly grasped it. With his hands on his staff, he struck the men holding his arms with his staff causing them to lose their grip.

With a final twist, the staff wielder swept his free leg at the ankle of the man holding his other foot causing that foe to topple. In one smooth motion, he continued that twisting motion enabling him to resume his upright position. In another motion, he thrust his staff towards the chest of one enemy in front of him and then, the abdomen of another behind him. He jumped step towards one at his side but the moment of their confusion had dissipated and that foe was able to hold out his sword to block Kilik's staff.

Another moment of standoff went by as both forces—namely Kilik himself against the five men he had difficulty to defeat—stood, stances at the defensive and waiting for one force to launch an initial strike.

Kilik panted, along with the rest, as he tried to scan through his memory for any lapses and holes within their attack movements.

'Their motion is too good. They attack in a coordinated manner. They're very quick to recover and respond against any momentary lapse. They seem to have studied my fighting style at the short time that I had fought some of them. They respond as if they could predict my every move. This would be difficult," he thought. His chances of catching them off-guard were to surprise them with anything they would not expect as he had observed when he attempted successfully to escape their grasps.

Then, an idea sparked on his mind.

He rushed towards one of them and held his staff overhead, preparing himself for a quick vertical strike. The man, initially surprise, held his blade in front to receive the blow.

'Just as I thought,' Kilik said in his mind. 'They would initially block if caught by surprise, not evade them, once his enemy is very near.'

Kilik inhaled deeply as he poured his strength onto his arms in a massive blow. His staff met the blade of his enemy initially. However, the recipient of the blow had not anticipated the strength of the strike and merely gasped as Kilik's force overpowered his arms and the blade struck his head and he collapsed, unconscious.

'I have to thank Zhi's training with the axe and firewood for that,' Kilik thought gratefully as he turned to the rest of his enemies. One against four definitely had better odds than against five. The remaining four were initially dumbfounded with this.

Kilik now smiled with certainty as the four readied their weapons and positioned them in front of them. Two of them rushed towards him as the other two ran to flank him on both sides. Kilik blocked them both as he sensed the other two. He suddenly withdrew his staff from in front and swept it towards the ankle of his enemy at the right. The enemy saw it and leapt to avoid it. Kilik, having predicted it, angled the swing higher and caught that enemy by his legs causing him to stumble.

The man screamed clutching his broken ankle. Kilik continued the swinging motion and increased its strength, hence, the arc of the strike caught the man on his left by the arm with a snapping sound.

"Aah!" the man screamed as he dropped his sword and held his broken arm.

A sudden rustling sound from behind alerted Kilik. As he turned, an arrow flew, speeding towards his chest.

-0-

"You will not lay a finger on him!" Xianghua screamed, a single tear rolling along her cheek, as she laid sprawled on the forest floor. As one grabbed her shoulder to force her to stand from behind, she swung her head hitting the man on the nose.

"Aah!" the man screamed as he dropped his sword and held his nose. Another charged towards her and thrust his sword. Xianghua avoided the attack and caught his arm pulling it and sent the man staggering forward. As that man turned to her, she sent a roundhouse kick on his face and he collapsed.

As she turned about, three of them charged towards her. She rushed and picked up her sword and run to meet them. The three all sent a thrusting motion with their sword in an attempt to prevent her from blocking them. She twisted and squeezed herself in between two of the swords and was suddenly, within arm's range in front of them. They gave out a look of surprise as she swung her sword diagonally, catching one on his belly and the other one at the chest. Two fell lifelessly on the ground.

The other man seeing two of his companions dead in one blow froze for a second, stunned. Xianghua brushed her hair from her face and walked steadily towards him, glaring at him. The foe initially panicked but grasped his sword firmly and with a yell, sprinted towards her and held his sword above his head. As he neared her, Xianghua slipped to his side, evading his attack and struck his back.

He crumpled as well.

She turned around and saw a last man standing. He held his bleeding nose with one hand and his sword on his left. He looked a little dazed but, nevertheless, still willing to fight. He charged towards Xianghua and hacked at her vertically. She merely deflected him and in his moment of stagger she struck.

She panted and looked ahead. Grandpa Zhi was still in danger. Throwing her knapsack aside, she ran as fast as she could towards the crossroad. Upon reaching there, she decided that whoever captured him would be heading towards the village. She ran towards that direction.

She came by a cart which she recognized as Zhi's. She stopped to examine them. The cart was tilted with one of its two wheels smashed into pieces. Firewood lay scattered along the road. Then, she gasped and winced, appalled upon seeing his donkey, on its side with a large gash on its abdomen.

'How could they be so cruel!' she thought angrily. 'It's just a beast! How could they kill it…'

There was no sign of Zhi elsewhere and so she resumed her run. Soon, she spotted three large men in maroon uniform dragging the old man by his arm from afar. They soon sensed her and stopped to wait for her. She came in front of them panting, tired but seemingly still full of energy.

One of the three elbowed his companion and muttered to his companion. "Hey, what luck for us! I thought we were going to miss all the battle. I really wanted to test their fighting skills."

"Yeah," said another. "I thought it strange that the master would give us this errand job, carrying this helpless old man back to the village. After all, we are his best swordsmen. This woman must be really good to escape our men."

The third also spoke up. "And I thought my sword would only taste the blood of the donkey."

"Hand him over, or else!" Xianghua demanded. The old man's face full of bruises lifted and lit up.

"Xianghua!" he called, delighted by her presence, his arms suspended on two of the elite men's arms.

"Quite feisty, too, eh," they laughed, "for someone who looks like she's having a heart attack after fleeing her enemies."

"For your information, I just killed half of them and my companion's coming soon after he took care of the rest."

"I'm impressed. She is good. She would provide us some good entertainment. What say you? Let's try her one by one."

"I'd rather take care of all three of you at once."

They all laughed hysterically.

"I'm afraid you are taking us too lightly. We are not like those men you took care of. And about your companion, he must be having a hard time by now. There were initially ten men sent to take care of you, but there were also another ten as back-up to ensure the mission gets done. I'm guessing only five went to pursue you so your companion must be facing the rest of them."

"What?" Xianghua stood, stunned. She felt guilt spurt up within her knowing he left Kilik behind with thrice the amount of strong opponents that she faced earlier. She felt that she abandoned him. Should he be killed, she would be responsible. The grip on her sword loosened.

"What about this man? Who would want to hold him while we spar with her?"

"Well, the master said he would forgive us if this old man would die as long as we bring those two alive."

"In that case, hold him for me."

Xianghua's heart stopped a moment as she screamed. "NO!"

One of them stood in front of Zhi and thrust his sword into his abdomen. The old man almost doubled over if not for those holding him by the arms. Xianghua dropped her sword and felt her knee shook as weakness quickly crept all over her body. She put her hand on her mouth as she sobbed. She dropped on her knees.

She felt no rage surging in her. She felt life and strength sapped out of her as despair slowly took over. A tightening of her chest and some blurring in her eyes…

"Now we can take care of her! Hey, stand up! What was that 'you wanted to take the three of us' line?"

-0-

Kilik had evaded three arrows while fending off three of his melee foes. He couldn't get near the archers because each time he would dash towards them, one swordsman would block his way and push him back with attacks. He could overhear among the ranks of the archers:

"Shoot to distract but if you could wound him or disable him, the better."

Stealing some glances towards them as he fought with his staff, he noted that the one giving the order had a distinctive uniform. He also had an air of an officer in rank. Kilik deducted that that man must be their leader who was in charge of this attack. If he was not mistaken, he might be the Tang Nubao that was mentioned earlier. 'If I could disable him,' Kilik thought, 'it could provide confusion among their ranks and lower their morale.'

As Kilik blocked two swords in front of him and being pushed back once again, he heard two arrows zipping through the air towards him. He dropped to the ground just as it shot past above him. As he quickly got up, the three swordsmen surrounding him charged towards him while five arrows shot towards his direction. Wherever he should try to move, he would be struck by either sword or arrow!

Kilik ran towards the enemy behind him, who was directly in front of where the arrows were headed, evaded the enemy's strike and nimbly slipped behind him, using him as shield against the arrows. True enough, two arrows embedded on his shoulder and chest and another two on another swordsman's upper back. They gave out a cry and landed on the ground lifelessly.

This created confusion among the archers and Nubao gave them a furious tongue lashing.

"Why you imbecile dogs! Who told you to hit your fellow warrior?" and he continued to scream curses at them. "Hit the enemy! I don't see a rat target from a mile away! I see a man just a few yards from here where a hundred arrows could fit in! Do you have eyes! Or am I talking to blind geezers on this row? I'm so furious that I'm handed with such incompetent, amateur bow handlers who don't know how to draw an arrow from a quiver!"

Now Kilik was positioned poorly in between his lone sword-equipped foe and the ten archers targeting him. Being the last swordsman among his ranks, the man attacked Kilik furiously, never letting him take his eyes away from the sword. Keenly, the maroon uniformed warrior anticipated Kilik's moves and blocked them all. Having Kilik's thoughts divided between fending off and attacking the lone warrior and escaping the barrage of arrows strained him mentally. A clash between the two melee weapons and they were battling strength against strength, pushing each other's weapon towards the other, digging their foot on the ground to gain momentum. With the enemy sword pushing to slice his face, he couldn't take off his staff from the momentary stalemate of the weapons. Suddenly, again, he heard arrows zipping behind him.

Kilik took one foot of the ground and allow his foe's pushing force to let him fall. As he did so, he kicked his enemy on the groin to ensure that he would remain standing and would discontinue the push. In one motion, Kilik dislodged his staff from the sword, twisted and swatted away the first arrow that was sure to hit him. Then, he fell to the ground.

The lone swordsman, palms on his groin because of the pain, didn't notice the arrows headed his way. The next thing he knew, several arrows were lodged onto his chest and abdomen. He fell on his back.

Kilik pushed himself off the ground. Two arrows were zipped his way! He leapt and rolled sideways. Then, in full speed, he dashed towards the archers, zigzagging to avoid their arrows.

"He's coming, he's coming! Hit him you blind shrews!"

Kilik swatted away another arrow as he neared the row of archers. Not stopping his mad run, he swung his staff in a wide arc and caught three of the archers' heads. He continued his dash and after some distance from them, he violently twisted and changed his directions—back towards them.

"He's behind! Quick! Turn around! Shoot him! Kill him!" Nubao's voice now had tint of panic in it. The uncertainty of his tone and the tension of the situation only caused the men's accuracy to plunge down in fluster. Their shots became as sloppier than ever.

Kilik were soon among their ranks and in another strike, he took out another two of the archers. He took another pass and another three were taken down.

"Turn around, turn around! His coming! Quick! Hit him!" Nubao, then, gave a shrill shriek because Kilik was headed towards him. "He's coming! He's comi—"

Bam!

The last two archers drew their daggers. Even though their knees were shaking and knowing they had no chance of winning, they knew they had no choice but to stand up and fight. They were sure they would die.

They were right.

Kilik took the time to breathe in some air with the last of them taken down. He didn't forget that Xianghua and Zhi might still be in danger and so, upon regaining his strength, he ran towards them.

Soon, he stopped as he saw Xianghua's knapsack lying on the ground. He looked around and saw five bodies, sprawled all around, four of them with fatal wounds. He didn't see Xianghua's sword or her other belongings nearby. Keeping his hopes up, he decided that she must have prevailed over them and ran to save Zhi.

He jogged; his strength was now greatly depleted but he could not afford to walk. He passed by the crossroad and the cart. Still, seeing no Xianghua and Zhi, he proceeded. He was slightly worried that over this time, they had not returned. He hoped Xianghua had not met enemies as difficult as he had just fought. He worried about the possibility of enemy back-ups springing up and ambushing her.

He stopped as he saw three men with larger and leaner bodies lying in front of him, blood pooling around them. He studied them momentarily and noted that they wore distinguishing uniforms. Not as officer-like as Tang Nubao's but maybe that of an elite. He was impressed with Xianghua; he thought that if he had difficulty with the normal contingencies of Wei's swordsmen—and some archers—how much more would an elite be.

And make that three!

Suddenly, he heard a woman sobbing. This alarmed him causing him to search for the origin of the sound.

-0-

"Don't say that, Grandpa Zhi! I'll help you get up! The village is nearby; we'll get a doctor. Don't say you're gonna die!"

Zhi breathed deeply and then shallowly for several more breaths. He looked pale and his eyes had difficulty focusing on the female warrior coaxing him to live. His hands were bloody but not as much as his abdomen was.

Weakly he said: "It's no use, my child. If you ever get me to the village, more of Wei's men would surround us. It would be a worse situation."

"No! I insist," she resisted as she shifted her position to aid the wounded old man to get him up. The old man shook his head weakly and grasped her arm, smearing it with some of his blood.

"I can't stand anymore. I'm weak; I've lost so much blood. I might not even survive the trek. Spare yourself the effort."

"No, no, no! Don't give up! Kilik might be here any moment. We'll bring you towards the village. We'll find you a doctor," she said anxiously, tears spilling along her face, as she frantically looked left and right for any signs of her other companion.

"I'm so useless!" Xianghua cried. "What warrior would let his loved one die! I'm a failure! I'm a failure! I'm sorry Grandpa Zhi, I let you down! If someone else had arrived instead of me, he would've prevented you from getting hurt. I wish I had let Kilik ran to you instead of me. If only!"

"Hush!" he rebuked. "You're not a failure. It's not your fault; you did not let me down. In fact, I owe you my life. If you hadn't come, I would be in Wei's presence and it would be worse."

Xianghua looked at him, blinded by her tears, hand covering her mouth as she sobbed.

"I was impressed with how you fought those three strong men. How you defeated them easily; how you didn't kill them out of revenge and hatred; how you fought only out of the pureness of your heart and the will to protect me. I'm so glad I get to see you before I go up to my forefathers. It doesn't matter to me whether it was you or Kilik who came. To me, either one of you is enough."

"You promised me that you would be alive when we come back. I haven't come back— I haven't even left you yet—"

Zhi grasped her arm once more in an effort to silence her. He said something but was too soft for her to hear.

"What?" Xianghua said, in between tears. She placed her ear near his mouth.

"I'm just happy to meet Xianghua and Kilik," the old man wheezed. "You are beautiful… My daughter…"

And he breathed his last. Xianghua shuddered as she wept.

"No! No, no, no! Say something more! I want to hear your voice. Grandpa Zhi! Say something more!" her voice pierced through the quietness of the forest. The sun rose but the color of the dawn didn't provide hope and comfort. It was as if the sun was setting again the moment it arrived.

Kilik stood behind her, too stunned to move, no tears in his eyes but deeply at the bottom of sorrow. He simply had no more tears to give out. As he shifted his feet, a twig snapped on the ground announcing his presence.

Xianghua abruptly turned around to face him.

"He's dead! Kilik, he dead! I couldn't save him! Why didn't you arrive sooner! Why did you allow me to run to save him instead of you? You could have saved him!" she approached him and pounded his chest. She fell on her knees with her hands clutching the edges of his shirt. "Why didn't you stop me?"

Kilik stood frozen, eyes merely fixed on the dead man who claimed him as his son. Another one who was kin to him had just passed away. Distantly, he could hear Xianghua's sobbing and wailing. He also felt some of his strength draining away from him. He knelt in front of Xianghua, eyes hollow and shifty.

"If only you saved him instead of me… You could have saved him…" she trembled and grasped once again Kilik's shirt and buried her face on it as she wailed. Absently, Kilik placed his hands at the back of her head. He didn't know what to say; he didn't have anything to say either. Both had kinship towards this one man and together they suffered a loss. In this loss, they bonded together.

Up where the old man had been staring at them, a serene smile could be seen marked on his face. Then, it dissipated along with his face which soon blended among the clouds.

-0-

A few hours after the tragic event, both decided that it would not be safe for them to stay where they were because the village was nearby. The last thing they wanted was to risk the body getting stolen by Wei's men. They wanted to honor Grandpa Zhi in his death. Hence, Xianghua had Kilik carry his body back to his hut where they burned a pyre for him.

"Don't burn the hut" Xianghua said as Kilik held a burning torch right before he lit up the pyre. "Even if he's dead, someday, I want to return to this place and remember all the happy times we had with him."

He simply nodded as the flames slowly crept up and consumed the wood and everything on it. The smoke snaked up towards the sky where they hoped to send their dear old man away.

-0-

_Fine_

-0-

_There. It's done… Oh, here's a tissue for you. I almost needed it, too, as I wrote the last part. Please review. _ToT


End file.
